Redeem the Stars
by megadoomingir
Summary: Starscream was left at the mercy of the Predacons. This time there was no escape. Will he allow death to consume him or will he accept another chance? One he is assured will be the last if he cannot fix his ways and help shape the world he will soon live in. SPOILERS, SET AFTER TRANSFORMERS: PRIME MOVIE. RATING MAY CHANGE.
1. Shape the Outside

**If you're just as angry as I am over the ending of Transformers: Prime, then this should help ease your sense of 'holy FRAG, no conclusion to this awesome show, Starscream why, Soundwave, why, and what the FRAG MEGATRON?!'. Hope this helps.**

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He nearly keened when he saw the throne unclaimed. Each step towards it was met with glee… until his audials heard the distinct flapping sound he'd come to dread. He thought he'd done well once the Predacons landed; he denounced wanting the throne, he backed away in fear, hoping it was read as respect, and offered it to Predaking. Like it was a present, saved and wrapped just for him.

"I am not here to seize thrones, Starscream, but to settle scores," Predaking snarled, cornering the seeker on the throne.

It felt so much smaller now, sitting in the seat that would probably become his last. And it was a throne he would never have, one he was never meant to have. This hurt most of all, even more than when Predaking grasped his ped roughly and tossed him harshly off the throne, throwing him into the center of the open room to become the center of their judgment.

Starscream cried out in pain and scrambled to get up, to get away, but Skylinx jumped on his back, rendering escape useless.

And then Predaking did sit, but only to watch, "Do with him as you will. When I deem his suffering enough, I will then end him."

Darksteel then joined his comrade, cackling as he transformed from beast to bipedal, "What the king says is what we'll do," he hissed happily, remembering all the times the seeker subjected them to humiliation and pain, "And we'll do as he asks, because he asks, not demands," and with that final hiss he kicked Starscream roughly in the side as Skylinx moved out of the way to transform.

Predaking settled in his new throne, watching his brethren hold the pitiful, the weak, the pathetic Starscream down and beat him painfully, leaving claw marks and leaking wounds all over his chassis.

Starscream couldn't beg. He physically couldn't. His screeching and pained wails had no words to save him from this torment. Surely he'd never done any of these beasts as much harm as they inflicted upon him now, he thought in the brief seconds between harsh blows. Surely, surely he had never deserved this much pain from these simple-minded monsters. But another kick to his lower chassis, shattering his dark cockpit, made him erupt with more screams as the sensitive glass not only racked agony through his beaten form, but the shards trickled down into the detailed crevices underneath, stabbing him in very delicate places.

He knew he was crying. Tears of diluted Energon trailed down his faceplates, emphasizing the hurt he was bearing. He hoped, the seeker hoped with his entire spark, that the Energon from the helm wound was enough to cover this little fact and Predaking would not see.

But Predaking was too busy watching the leaking wounds all over his chassis to notice Starscream's tears of pain. Skylinx brought his claws down on the seeker's wings, tearing the delicate metals and ripping them into shredded pieces. Darksteel roared as he ripped a large gash across Starscream's chassis, exposing the wiring and even the hint of the seeker's precious spark chamber for the world to see. No mercy was given. Predaking had not told them to stop yet.

Both Predacons pulled away for just a moment to admire their work, to see what was left to be undone. Starscream could hardly move as he finally got the chance to intake, to rest and feel only the throbbing of the wounds instead of the creation of new ones. And then the beasts were on him again, claws ripping at the top of his helm, teeth and fangs at his arms and legs, a tail wrapping around his neck. Choking. Choking…

Starscream gasped in pain and tried to pull Darksteel's tail from his neck, his slender claws pulling at the metal in futile attempts. Darksteel growled in pleasure, increasing the pressure, feeling the seeker's throat being crushed under his tight grasp, his form being drained of life.

Off in the distance, Starscream saw the great and vibrant colors of sparks being released from the Well of Allsparks, from Primus himself. He watched them as his vision began to blur, as his core temperature began to rise from lack of sufficient, cooling intakes. If this was the last thing he saw, he would be fine with that. At least he wouldn't die staring into the optics of the beasts who were killing him.

Predaking saw the lights too, and raised a servo as he growled to his brethren, "Enough!"

The tail stopped choking. The beasts dropped him and backed away.

"But, my king," Skylinx hissed, "has he truly suffered enough yet? All our pain, all our torment, has he really?"

Predaking stood, walking up to the fallen seeker, "Yes. From you," he grabbed the smaller mech roughly by his shoulder armor, holding him up to inspect, "but my revenge has not yet been redeemed. I have my own pains to inflict upon him."

Starscream tried to focus on the flying sparks as they began to draw closer, lighting the sky and filling it with their brilliance, but his gaze settled on Predaking for only a moment and he regretted this.

The beast roared and slammed him into the floor, stomping on his chest plate as hard as he could as he bellowed to the sky, "You demeaned us! Treated us with no respect, no concept of what you were dealing with!" he tore Starscream up from his peds by his arm, whipping him back into the floor with as much force as he could, "Your attempts to break us only fed our rage! Only made us fight for our freedom harder!" he grabbed Starscream up around the neck, lifting him up as the sparks finally reached them, swarming around them as they rushed pass in their journey onwards, but Predaking ignored them.

The king of the Predacons walked heavily to the end of the ledge, holding Starscream out over the edge, "You will die knowing I gave you mercy and ended your pain," he growled, "You will die knowing I freed you from life's torments."

Starscream was crying silently, freely. He didn't care if Predaking saw now. He was in too much agony to care. Sparks flew about him as Predaking held him out at length and smirked.

"This end gives me much too much pleasure, you pathetic creature," he chuckled deeply, "The only simple-minded mech here today, Starscream, is you. You'll never change, you'll never learn. You'll never survive this world," he crushed Starscream's throat just a bit, "Thank me once your spark has left your chassis."

And with that, Predaking tossed the seeker's beaten chassis over the edge, the sparks dancing around and passed the giant structure. One stood out among the rest, following the small mech's form down as he fell.

Starscream saw Predaking first, then the spark that trailed him. He watched it get closer and closer, the impact from his falling into one of many sides of the citadel allowing the spark a moment to encircle and grasp at Starscream's outreached claws. The sparkling red and blue spark put ease in Starscream's own, letting him know he was all right. That it was safe now.

The seeker smiled a little knowing he wouldn't be dying alone. Whoever's spark this was, he was thanking them as he fell. The journey seemed to take a lifetime, but his final impact into the metallic soils of Cybertron itself took only a few moments. Darkness. Dust and darkness…

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His optics snapped open. He was still alive. Starscream could barely move, his entire chassis felt broken beyond repair. But the glow of a ground bridge blanketed his pitiful form and merely asked him to look in its direction. And he did.

He didn't see the spark near him anymore, and as he saw the last of the ones flying overhead, he was sure it had left with the rest of them. But then, why was a ground bridge here?

_You'll not know who sent it unless you take a risk._

Starscream's thoughts were so clouded he didn't know whether he thought it or not.

_Bravery and cowardice can be identified in opinion. Are you brave for allowing the darkness of death? Or a coward for going into the unknown of this portal?_

Starscream let the idea sink in as it continued to speak to him.

_Or are you a coward for letting death steal you now? And brave should you risk to try and save your life_? _I will stay with you regardless. I will welcome you here or help you up, but need to decide now._

The seeker stared up at the bridge, his face slowly glaring.

_You need to decide, you need to be sure, time is of the essence. What will you do, Starscream? Are you brave or a coward, are you ready for the decision that could change you, in life or death?_ _Make it, make it now._

Starscream hissed quietly as he pulled himself up on his servos and knees, the pain racking him in harsh trembles. But he growled. He had to have been through worse. He wasn't going to die yet, not yet. He pulled himself up, his intakes harsh and pained, and hobbled over to the bridge.

He felt the thoughts push him, give him the strength he needed.

_Keep going, Starscream. Today is not your day, you still need to be here. You need to fight for it, fight for this life, fight to be here now. I believe in you, I know you can do this._

Starscream made it to the bridge, fell in with a gasp as the last of the strength he had left him and he looked around tiredly at the familiar hallways of the Nemesis. He let out a small sigh. The last he saw of this ship, it was downed, and he was sure deserted.

_You won't be left alone. I promise this, Starscream. Whether you live or not, I still have faith in you. You must believe in yourself, Starscream. I know you can fix the wrongs. You made the first steps here. What happens from here on is for you to decide, to control. You are king of what happens from here._

The thoughts quieted down and Starscream let out a final sigh. He let his optics flicker off as he smiled, the echoes of cautious pedfalls reaching him as he fell unconscious.

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**Starscream IS my favorite character from the show. I beat him down so he can get back up. One never learns without the obstacles to teach them.**


	2. Repair the Inside

**Well, if you got this far, that means you're intrigued. Or bored. Or... BOTH. I accept questions, but that does not mean I will tell you the outcome of this story that fast.**

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Quite a few pairs of peds were coming down the hallway. It was unfortunate that Starscream was unconscious at the time or he would have seen it; the complete and utter shock of his being there.

"By the Allspark," Ratchet whispered, "Is… is that…?"

Knockout beside him grimaced, "My, if that's who I think it is, it won't be long before he isn't… anymore."

Both medics cautiously made their way to the side of the fallen seeker, taking in his wounds while Bulkhead and Smokescreen hung back, blasters raised in defense.

"Hey doc, is he getting up?" Bulkhead rumbled, slowly making his way closer, "I mean, he looks in bad shape…"  
Ratchet waved him off gently, "I understand your concerns," he said softly, "but he's unconscious, he won't be getting up."

Knockout rolled his optics as Smokescreen came up behind him, "So, do we want to leave him here?"

Smokescreen shook his head, "We can't just do that, we can't just leave him like this, can we? I mean, what would Op-" he stopped in his thought, the looks on everyone else telling him they already knew what he was thinking, "… So, I guess we're not leaving him here then."

Ratchet stood, "Not in the slightest. Knockout and I will get Starscream to the med-bay while one of you goes back upstairs to turn off this ground bridge. Get rid of it before something else comes through."

It took no time to get Starscream up and to the lift to take him up. He was so light missing most of his Energon and some bits of armor. And by the time they got him on a med berth, it looked like time would be wasted trying to save him anyway.

But Ratchet sighed and picked up his first tool. He had to try, if anything.

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Starscream looked around, the dark engulfing him.

"Where am I?" he asked aloud, the sound of his voice echoing back.

"You're in waiting," answered another voice, familiar and yet unplaced.

Starscream looked all around to try and find the source of the other voice, but whoever it was was hidden.

The seeker whimpered, "Who's there? Show yourself!"  
"I am sorry, Starscream," answered the voice again, "But at present, I cannot. I will be able to show myself once certain obstacles have been overcome."

"Overcome, overc- do not run me around in circles!" Starscream hollered, "Don't beat around the bush, where am I? Am I dead or aren't I? Is… is this the Pit?"

The voice waited to answer, hmming, "At this moment, you are neither. Your chassis is currently being tended to by medics Ratchet and Knockout."

Starscream's wings drooped, "Ratchet and-" he slumped, "Well, I truly am fragged now, aren't I? One is going to slag me for being a Decepticon, the other because he suddenly decides himself an Autobot! I might have been better off dying at the base of Dark Mount…"

"Would you?" the voice asked, "Would you have been happier dying where they left you?"

Starscream went to yell out into the darkness, then stopped. Honestly, he didn't want to be in the servos of the Autobots, but he was alive. If they kept him that way, he would be quite happy.

"Erm… perhaps I spoke a little too soon," Starscream grumbled sheepishly, holding an arm close, "I want to live… I just suppose I wouldn't want to be indebted to these mechs of all Cybertronians…"

The voice chuckled a bit, "Starscream, I think from what I can see, you are in very tending servos. You will be fine," the voice grew quiet, then spoke up again, "This world is changing quickly. So many things will have to adapt or they will not have a place in it."

Starscream sat in the darkness, pouting, "You can say that again. Megatron… he just suddenly decides that oppression isn't the way to rule this world? After everything he fought for, after everything he led his subjects into, after everything we had to endure, he suddenly decides it's wrong?"

The voice seemed to get nearer, but Starscream was unable to see the owner of the voice, "And isn't it? You endured as much pain and suffering as the rest of them. Perhaps even more so. You would put others in the same pain you have been treated to?"

Starscream smirked, "I'm entitled to a very luxurious life. I'm a seeker and a brilliant mastermind. I need only be patient in these very impatient times."

The voice sighed heavily, sadly, "If these are your views now, then I fear you won't learn from the mistakes you've made. That you will not learn from what you have been exposed to."

Starscream snapped his helm up at where the voice was coming from, "Is that really the issue?"

Predaking had said something similar before letting him drop to his would-be death.

"It is an issue," the voice said, almost sternly, "But I will not lose faith, Starscream. You've had many second chances to fix your ways, and I am sure that this one will be the one that changes you, changes your outlook. I believe this."

Starscream looked around uncomfortably, curling in on himself tightly, "Ah, y-you do?" he shifted slightly, "Who are you? Why are you… uh, near me and talking to me like this? What's your motive?" he glared suspiciously, "What have you to gain from this? What are you trying to do?"

"I'm only trying to help you Starscream," the voice responded sadly, "I have no motive. I only have your peace of mind to gain from this. I'm trying to ensure you do not suffer as many others have in this war. If this is something for you to be wary of, then your change will not become evident for some time. I hope that you will have your peace soon."

Starscream scoffed, "My peace will come when I'm recognized as the leader I am. Then I will see to it that you will leave me alone."

The voice rumbled quietly, "I cannot control you, Starscream. As I have told you, you are the king of your own decisions, of your own fate. But I would hope that you would start making these decisions with future consequences in mind…"

The darkness around Starscream rumbled and churned, forcing the seeker on edge as his wings shot up, "W-what was that? What's going on? A trick?"

"This is not a trap, Starscream, you are beginning to wake. Ratchet and Knockout are not done with their repairs. The pain will be excruciating. I will be near, but I cannot take your pain from you. I know you are strong, you've come this far…"

Starscream gasped when the throbbing agony began to rock his form, but he snarled, "I can take this… I've suffered too much to lose now…"

"That's right," the voice echoed, becoming distant, "you have. I will speak to you again when I deem it the right time."

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"Oh, slag, Ratchet, he's waking up!"

Starscream's chassis arched up, his claws flexing and the backs of his peds digging into the med berth beneath him. One of his clawed servos shot up and grappled with the tube in his mouth, a tube that led down into his intake chambers.

Ratchet sprung into action as Starscream began pulling the tube out, jumping on top of the seeker and trying to keep his arms down, "Knockout, for Primus' sake, get a sedative!"

The red mech dropped a tray he'd been keeping his tools on and stumbled over to a drawer, grabbing a syringe, "How is he awake, we gave him enough tranquilizers to put down a Predacon!"

Ratchet struggled to keep Starscream down, "I-I don't know! You were his primary physician, you know him better!"

The seeker shot an arm free of the elder mech's grasp, throwing the medic off as he tore the tube out of his mouth and coughed loudly, getting fresh intakes into his chassis again. He continued to sputter and rasp as Knockout came up to his side and grabbed his arm, getting the syringe into the joint of the limb. Starscream almost squealed in protest but the drugs moved quickly through his systems and he was soon silent again.

Ratchet stared up at his comrade in disbelief, almost shaking as he stood, "How is that even possible? With as much damage as he has, with as much sedatives we had to give him to make sure he would stay unconscious, he still woke up?!"

Knockout relaxed when he saw Starscream wasn't going to move again, "Well, Screamer's always been full of surprises," he purred, resting his elbow on the med berth, "Great patient when he's in stasis, I might add. Then you don't have to hear him complaining the entire time."

Ratchet shook his helm, "Well, clearly he's intaking on his own. I suppose the intake tube will be useless at the moment."

"But it doesn't hurt to keep it handy," Knockout mused, setting it aside, "I'll leave it here in case we get the feeling he decides intaking should be someone else's job."

The elder mech smiled, "A good plan," his gaze settled on the seeker's resting form, sighing, "Let's make sure he's been stabilized then we'll work on the finer details."

Knockout smiled a little as well, "We can work in shifts if that makes things easier."

Ratchet nodded, "With a guard just in case. I agree."

Both medics stopped to stare at the patient a moment longer before taking up their tools again and setting back to work.

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**And that's chapter two. I really have nothing to say about it. Just read.**


	3. Say Your Piece

**Huzzah, you've gotten to the third chapter. Now read.**

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Muffled voices. All just muffled.

Starscream grimaced. He knew he was waking up again, but the pain wasn't as bad as before. Throbbing, noticeable, but not nearly as bad as it had been before.

Someone must have noticed his change in facial expression, because the muffled voices were getting louder and more excited, until an older voice hushed them all, grumbling something about not needing the extra noise.

Starscream felt the proximity of a servo near his faceplates and Ratchet's voice reach him, "Starscream? Starscream, I need you to online your optics and look straight."

The seeker didn't respond. He was conscious enough to hear the request and decide to ignore it.

Ratchet sighed, "Starscream, we have your processor waves on the screens, we know you can hear us."

Starscream scowled, "And that's supposed to mean something to me?"

The mech before him growled, "Online your optics or I'll override your systems and do it for you."

"Or," Knockout piped up, "we could just leave him here."

Arcee spoke from off to the side, "That sounds like the better plan to me, Ratchet. We don't need him wasting our time. I could be on patrols."

"I could be overseeing the building projects," Bulkhead rumbled.

"I could be off buffing this already stunning paint job to a sheen," Knockout purred, "So lets just leave him here if he wants to be stubborn and get on with what we really want to do."

Starscream growled and slowly onlined his optics, peering at everyone on a low setting, "Fine, you cretins, if you're so ready to leave me, then let's just get this examination done and I'll be off."

Ratchet huffed, using a small flashlight to check the dimly lit red orbs, "Leaving? In your dreams. We may not have been able to catch Megatron for what he's done, but you're here now. At least we have one of you."

Starscream's optics erupted at full power, his chassis trying to lurch forwards when he suddenly noticed his bindings, "You- what?!" he looked down at the Energon cuffs holding him in place on the berth, "You… can't keep me prisoner!"

Arcee shifted her weight, "Just watch us. The Autobots won the war, remember? And you still parade yourself as a Decepticon looking to rise to power."

The seeker snarled, "Well we all know what happened the last time I tried to become one of you. Turns out there was really no difference in sides!"

The blue femme glared, clenching her servos in a fist, "Why you slimy little-" she moved forwards to hurt Starscream in some way, but Smokescreen and Wheeljack held her back.

Starscream smirked a little at his victory, then pursed, "I also refuse to speak to any of you any longer. Where is Prime? If he's not busy being high and mighty, I'll reason with him."

The room became still and quiet. Arcee's angry face fell and she turned away, letting Wheeljack's chassis shield her. Smokescreen and Bumblebee looked to the floor, while others refused to make optic-contact with the seeker.

This actually confused Starscream and a sinking feeling befell him, "… Where is he?"

Ratchet took an intake slowly, "He's no longer with us…" tears were in his optics, real tears, "He…"

Bumblebee frowned and looked up, puffing out his chest in pride, "Optimus gave the ultimate sacrifice. To save us and future generations, he allowed the Allspark to consume his own, then destroyed his own being to free new sparks and bring life back to Cybertron," his voice didn't falter as he spoke, "His death saved us all, Starscream. You can't have an audience with him."

Arcee looked up to glare at the seeker, and everyone in the room waited to hear some snide remark or jab at their fallen leader from the wounded flier, but there was none. He said nothing. Instead, that same confused expression frowned as he tried to process what he had just been told.

_You're not speaking. You have no reaction to this?_

Starscream's optics opened wider when he heard the voice. It was that same voice, the one that told him to choose his own fate when he saw the bridge in front of him, the same that spoke to him in his dream. Starscream tried to remain calm, but whatever this was was beginning to frighten him.

_You do not have to fear me. I cannot control you._

Yes, he'd been told this before…

_Tell me your inner thoughts. Let them think what they want of you as you remain silent, but tell me why you do not speak. _

Aloud? This voice couldn't be serious.

_I'm doing very well in your thoughts for the time being. For all you know, I could be your conscience._

Starscream ruffled his optic ridges, thinking carefully. In his spark, he was somewhat torn between happiness and anger. Happy because he would never have to fight Prime in battle again, and angry that he was not the one who would be remembered for taking his spark. But another feeling was developing, something foreign. It was almost sadness.

He wanted Prime looking at him now, to hear his demands to give him the audience Starscream thought he solely deserved. He was a mech of high standards. A meeting with a Prime would be considered very noteworthy, something to be bragged about.

And then there was what the voice had spoken to him about earlier… about choosing bravery or cowardice…

_I see… I believe I understand. The turmoil within you is great, but it will pass. I'm pleased to note you are thinking about what it means to be brave…_

"Well?!" Arcee snarled, letting tears fall from her optics, "Do you have anything to say about it?!"  
_Don't be intimidated. She's angry, they're all hurt. Go with your last thought, you've had plenty of time to assess the right response. You'll be fine._

Starscream glared at her, looking up slowly, "You want me to have something to say?" _Be careful, sometimes fewer words will have a stronger affect. Don't come at her in hostility. But stand your ground._ "I do have a few words, if you'd like to hear them," _Good, say how you feel about it. The right way, I know you know how._ "I'm neither glad nor upset that Optimus Prime has embraced his end. But it would be cowardice of me to spit insults at him while he rests in the Well of Allsparks. So I will say nothing. Being strapped down on a med berth is neither the time nor place to really say anything at all on the matter."

Arcee's optics flickered in surprise and she calmed, staring at the seeker. The room seemed even more silent now.

_I'm very proud. You handled that very nicely. I'm sure even a Prime would have respected your speech._

Starscream cleared his throat, "Now, if all you have planned for me is eternal imprisonment, I'm going to ask for all of you to leave me at this time so that I may have some peace and quiet."

Ratchet shook his helm, getting his wits back, "No, no… we honestly don't know what to do with you Starscream. We need help rebuilding this world. We're just not sure we have the capacity to trust you."

"Or have the resources to keep fighting you off," Smokescreen mumbled.

Starscream hmmed, "Then leave me here to rest. It seems the rest of you have much to discuss on the matter already, don't you?" and with that, the seeker nestled comfortably on the med berth and offlined his optics, intaking deeply to facilitate a long recharge.

The Autobots stared, speechless, but when each was ready, one by one they began to filter out of the med bay, each in their own state of confusion.

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"We can't trust anything he says or does," Arcee frowned, "I know he's had his moments, but nothing comes to him for free. You always have to have something of value to him in one servo and something to protect you from his backstabbing in the other."

Knockout sighed, resting up against a computer console, "You're not far off there. When Screamer wants something, he usually just comes in and takes it. Like, all the time. Especially when you're not there and Breakdown can't keep his optics on your tools and supplies cause he's been ripped to pieces-"

The Autobots stared and Knockout nervously chuckled, coughing, "Ah, sorry, memories. Like I said before, Starscream's a great patient when he's unconscious…"

Smokescreen nodded slowly, "Right…"

The group had stationed themselves up in the command deck. The ship was a ruin, but it was still a perfectly capable base of operations. It had berth rooms, Energon stocks, and supplies they couldn't get anywhere else. At least for now, the downed ship was earning its keep.

"So what do we propose we do?" Arcee grumbled, resting her helm in a servo.

"We need to leave that winged freak for scrap," Bulkhead growled, "All the times he's messed with us, attacked us, screwed us over, we can't have him running around anywhere near us a free mech!"

"And where do you suppose we're going to find the resources to keep him here, let alone the mech power to ensure he doesn't escape?" Ratchet huffed tiredly, "All of us need to be out there doing something. Bulkhead, you and Wheeljack are the only ones qualified to lead the Vehicons in rebuilding the cities. Knockout and I need to be on standby for any injured refugees, not to mention making more of the synthetic Energon in preparation for the arrivals," he pointed about the room, "Smokescreen and Bumblebee are trying to establish communications with other bases, Autobot and Decepticon alike. And Arcee is still scouting the planet for any survivors left here. Who do you propose stays with Starscream?"

Bulkhead shifted his weight in a shrug, "I'd think Ultra Magnus could handle it… Once he's awake, he'd love to make sure this Con doesn't get away from us."

Ratchet shook his helm, "Ultra Magnus would be a likely candidate, no question, but with Optimus gone-" he stopped, fighting back his pain, "But with Optimus lost to us, he needs to step in as our leader. To keep us organized and our efforts sound. Once he awakens, I cannot in good conscience ask him to allow his only duty to be a prison guard."

Knockout chuckled, "More like prisoner guard, since it's only Screamer," Ratchet shot him a dirty look and the red mech shrunk back, "I'm just making a note of it…"

"What about the humans?" Smokescreen thought aloud, "I mean, I know they don't exactly have the same tech as us…"

Wheeljack shook his helm, "No, that's a thought. If MECH could hold Breakdown, that doesn't mean we can't let Agent Fowler and the kids keep an eye on a set of wings, right?"

"And if he escapes? Bah!" Ratchet finally shouted, throwing his servos up in the air, "Starscream's clever when he wants something. If he wants out of a cell, he'll say and do anything to achieve that."

Arcee scoffed, "Like that little speech? 'It would be cowardice of me to spit insults at him while he rests in the Well of Allsparks'? What was that all about?"

Knockout hmmed, "Uh, actually…" all optics turned to him, "that was the most honest I've seen him. Ever. In the history of knowing Starscream, if that was fake, then it was his best performance."

Wheeljack smirked, "Maybe whatever banged him up actually fixed something in that glitched processor of his."

"I think we should let one of us talk to him," Bumblebee said softly, "Just one of us. Leave everything at the door and have a straight conversation with him. Optimus would want us to give him a chance, especially now, in rebuilding this world. We've all had to do things in this war we're not proud of. Starscream embraces those disgraces and wears them like they're trophies. But this is a new world. We don't have to hold onto everything we've ever done. We're home again. Why can't we just be sure? What if he does want to change?"

Knockout raised a servo, "I'm standing here, aren't I? It wouldn't hurt to at least be sure."

Ratchet stared at Bumblebee, watching as Smokescreen gave the yellow scout a nod and a pat on the shoulder plating, "Though I dislike very much the thought of any one of us alone with him just for a chat, you're right. We do owe it to Optimus to at least give him a once over… Who volunteers?"

No one raised a servo.

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**On to four or do you stop now?**


	4. Speak Your Mind

**Ultra Magnus is hard to write for. He's also had HOW MANY speaking lines?**

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"So, soldier, who put you in this berth beside me?"

Starscream onlined his optics and glanced to the side, chuckling softly when he saw Ultra Magnus sitting comfortably on the edge of his own med berth, "I could ask the same of you. Though I don't think the word 'soldier' applies to quite a few of us anymore. Haven't you heard?" he hissed mockingly, "The war is over."

Magnus nodded, "Yes, the group of them in here talking to you was enough to rouse me. And your words on the matter of Prime was… touching."

The seeker did his best to shrug, "When did they tell you?"

"Just after it happened," the blue mech replied sullenly, "I was awake long enough to find out from Ratchet. If there is one thing you'll allow me to say to you…"

Starscream nodded, "By all means, I'm not set to go anywhere just yet."

"I would like to thank you for not disgracing Optimus' memory," Magnus rumbled, "He was a friend and a great leader. The last thing any of us need to hear is his memory tarnished."

The seeker hmmed, "I'd actually thought about it for a brief klik, I won't lie," he confessed, shrugging again, "But what good would that do anyone? They don't need to get upset, I don't need to be beaten again, and I don't exactly have anything bad to say about Optimus… he was perhaps a bit slower? That's about the best I can come up with, but a mech his size can't help that, can he?"

Ultra Magnus chuckled, a smile settling on his faceplate, "Clearly not as fast as yourself?"

"Oh, clearly not!" Starscream preened, "I'm the fastest seeker in the universe, if that's the only thing I can say about Optimus Prime, then I'll say it, I could fly circles around him… and he still probably would have landed a shot!"

_You're getting comfortable?_

Isn't this what he wants to hear?

_Are you doing this to manipulate? To harm them all later?_

No… No Starscream was doing this because it actually felt good. Talking positively for once. It didn't matter the subject, it just mattered he was doing it. He didn't need to think up a lie, he didn't need to stutter out a plea, he didn't need to grovel or beg. He was just talking. Really, about the things that were on his mind at that moment, in that sense, in this conversation.

And Ultra Magnus was enjoying it, "True, eventually he would have. But you wouldn't be flying in circles around him anyway, would you soldier; you'd be long gone."

_He's complimenting you as well. Take this positively; don't see the coward side to that statement._

Starscream sighed, "Around the world and back if I wanted…" he looked at Magnus, "But you didn't decide to sit up and engage me in conversation over Optimus, did you?"

Ultra Magnus shook his helm, "No. I am finding myself concerned with what Ratchet said. About not knowing what to do with you."

"Do you agree with them? Should I be locked away and left to rust?"

The blue mech slipped off his berth, pulling up a chair to sit in, "I've killed Cons," he mused, sitting heavily, "I've created strategies that leveled Decepticon bases. I've taken lives. All of us have. Should I be locked up and left to rust?"

Starscream's optics flickered, "But… you're on the winning side."

Ultra Magnus shook his head, "No side won this war, Starscream, we just endured. We sacrificed," he stared down at his claw servo, grimacing, "Some of us a little, some of us a lot. Whether physically or emotionally, we've all lost in this war. But what it meant to fight in it is what we strived for. Now that we're there, now that the lines have been lost so long ago, do we punish the ones who simply chose the wrong side? Who's to say the right side won?"

Starscream hmmed again, nestling into his berth, "Ahh, so we're getting deep then."

"Soldier," Magnus smiled, "when you're confined to a med berth with severe internal trauma you tend to simply think."

The seeker nodded, "Mm, yes, that is not a foreign situation. Except most of my thoughts were 'Megatron, you slagger, I'll get you for this'. The thoughts never became reality."

The blue mech nodded back, "Things would have changed for both sides regardless of who 'won'. This war was never meant to be won, it was just meant to be survived. Whoever died off first was the loser and the ones making their stand, the winners. So why should we, two similar fighters in this war, be treated so differently? Because of the sides we chose?"

Starscream shook his helm, "I cannot voice an opinion for I am not the one in control here. I am currently being held down. And don't take this as an invitation to free me. I want the rest of the Autobots to come down here and see what a good little prisoner I've been. Haven't even crossed my optics or stuck out my glossa."

Ultra Magnus nodded at the request, "Should you so chose…" then it grew quiet.

_Feeling better?_

The more Starscream thought about it, he was feeling better. Even the silence in the room felt welcomed.

_You were very brave earlier to speak for a Prime though you fought against him. But still be cautious about how friendly you try to be with them. They need time. They need to change just as much as you do._

So, he wasn't the only one? True, they did need to update their views on the opposite factions, as did he, but he never actually thought about that until now. Were they plagued by the same voice that bothered him?

_Am I truly a plague to you? A bother?_

Well, perhaps not a bother, but… different?

_I am only here to help guide your decisions, I cannot make them. I am choosing to see pass what you have become and see you as someone that fate could intend you to be. Even if it did take this long to help you._

Well, something that was there to serve the seeker on an advisory level. How sweet.

_If this service I give to you will be abused, Starscream, I will not give you the time to help you fix yourself. You can do it on your own. Consider me the inner voice within you that will give advice back. Nothing more._

Fine, then he shan't.

Starscream tried to get himself in a more comfortable position but his restraints were proving to be a nuisance.

Ultra Magnus noted the discomfort quickly, "Are you sure you still want to keep yourself bound? I'm sure Ratchet has already disabled your weapons."

Starscream nodded, "Yes, I'm sure as well, but I'd rather be uncomfortable than shot at because they thought I was escaping. It would be better to let them release me of their own accord, with all of them as witnesses, than to have a misunderstanding. Don't you?"

The blue mech smiled softly, "Then I will allow you to keep your restraints… We never answered each other's first questions."

"What?"

"The first question I asked," Magnus hmmed.

"Ahh, right."

"Who put you in this berth beside me?" they asked together.

Starscream chuckled, "You know I almost forgot about that, but I can assure you, my attack was far worse than yours."

"Really now?" Ultra Magnus said gruffly, "I doubt being injured while fighting two Predacons is something to be snuffed at."

"Ha!" Starscream laughed, "I do win! I was attacked by not one, not two, but three of those beasts! All three to be precise! Predaking, Darksteel and Skylinx, the betrayers…"

"So that would explain why Ratchet and Knockout had to put you back from pieces," Ultra Magnus thought aloud, "Knockout said he had a storeroom dedicated entirely to your mold because of how many times you used the med bay doors as revolving ones."

Starscream suddenly glared, turning away, "Well, I may be the fastest seeker, but clearly I was the slowest in avoiding Megatron's rage…"

How dare that great monster suddenly decide oppression is wrong. He didn't know true oppression.

_Like he did to you? How many times were you sent to a room like this? And for how long?_

Starscream didn't want to think about it; he didn't like those old memories.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," Magnus apologized, "It had just been something I noted while they were working on repairing you."

The seeker nodded slightly, "I see… I understand…" he shook his helm, "Let's let the past stay there… Speaking of working, is it too prying of me to ask how efforts to rebuild Cybertron are going?"

"Last I heard it was slow going, but steady."

Starscream shrugged, "Progress is progress, I suppose."

_Why do you ask?_

"Why do you ask," Magnus inquired.

"Everyone's common interest," the seeker hmmed, "Cybertron is safe now. I need not worry about Unicron or MECH forces here. If more servos are needed to rebuild our planet, it could serve as both a way to keep me out of a cell and under the optics of whomever I work beside."

"Something we'd need to discuss," came Ratchet's voice from the med bay doors; the medic stood there, tapping a ped as he glared down at Ultra Magnus, "Sir, I understand you may want to get back to fixing this planet, but with at least another full cycle of recovery to ensure no damage is left to go, you need to be resting in a berth," he glared at Starscream next, "And the same goes for you."

Starscream snorted, "Ooo, touchy. We're both in trouble, are we?"

Magnus stood from the chair and sat on his berth, "For now, just myself. And I assure you doctor, being under yours and Knockout's care has increased my recovery rate. I'm fine."

Ratchet walked down between the both of them, moving the chair away, "I'll be the judge of that when it comes to it. For now, you're both to rest," he pointed at the seeker, "And you," Starscream looked a little afraid, but the medic continued, "I've been unanimously outvoted and forced to talk with you. If you're serious about helping us rebuild, we could easily find a place for you."

"And I'd very much appreciate one," the seeker almost whispered, "I can give you locations of abandoned bases to help fill maps. I'm capable of heavy lifting, though I do despise the work. And I know all the controls on the command deck by spark. I'm not much of a medic when it comes to anyone else but myself, so I won't be able to help you personally, doctor."

Ratchet shook his helm, "Oh, that's fine. Don't worry, Starscream, we'll find some place for you…"

_I can tell, you shouldn't be worried. They won't dare imprison you without provocation…_

Starscream really hoped they wouldn't.

ssssssssss

**There, number four. Now I need to get on five...**


	5. Point at the Signs

**Klik: about a second  
Breem: about a minute  
Joor: about an hour  
Cycle: about a day  
Solar Cycle: about a week  
**

**And that is all you need to know. *snapsnap***

ssssssssss

"It's been a few cycles since we found you in the hallways," Ratchet mumbled, checking Starscream's optic health, "And you seem to be doing fine," he turned off his flashlight, moving back, "but don't think that doesn't mean I'll not be keeping an optic on you."

It had been a few cycles. Two to complete repairs and another two to allow him to rest. But Starscream was looking better, save for the slight scarring about his chassis. It was better than it was before, he could say that much. He was alive.

The seeker smirked, "Oh, I expect no less, doctor. In fact, I'm assuming I will have all optics about my person to see where I will be at all times."

"Well, you're right to assume that," the medic replied, setting his tool down and retrieving another one, "and your escort should be arriving any moment now, providing they've chosen who it will be already."

"Oh? I have choices?"

Ratchet grumbled, "For now, yes. Today, I wanted either Smokescreen or Bumblebee to keep you up on the command deck and help them with communications. There's no rebuilding Cybertron without bringing its inhabitants back, is there?"

"No, certainly not," Starscream paused when he heard a small scuffle just outside the med bay and pursed in amusement at the sound, "Here comes one of my escorts now," the door opened to reveal both Smokescreen and Bumblebee trying to enter first, pushing each other out of the way, "Or both."

"Ratchet, Bulkhead said-" Bumblebee started to say, but Smokescreen cut him off, pulling him back.

"Bulkhead asked me to help him keep the Vehicons in line today!" Smokescreen said quickly, smirking victoriously over Bumblebee who grumbled.

Ratchet growled, advancing towards both of them, "What kind of concoction is this? Smokescreen, do you think by helping Bulkhead today, I will not ask you to keep tabs on Starscream tomorrow?"

Smokescreen's optics flickered and he looked confused, "What? I have to take him tomorrow?"

Bumblebee seemed pleased about that, "Well, at least I get to get it over with faster than you. And I still get communications duty. Have fun moving supplies with Bulk and the drones."

Starscream watched carefully as the two had their small quarrel. It was nothing compared to the outbursts he and Megatron used to share, but it was still something to watch.

_I understand they want to integrate you faster to overcome the awkwardness of the situation, but I worry for your state of health, Starscream. If I had some sort of power, I would see to it that you rested for at least a cycle longer._

Alas, the voice had no power here, so it was straight to work the seeker would go.

_But you have power. You mentioned something about maps, last I recount. Offer this to stop the fight and give yourself a cycle more of minimal exertion._

Starscream thought about the proposition for a moment, waiting for the fight to actually bear some violent tendencies, if he were lucky, but the blows never came and he was getting bored with them rather quickly, "Ahem," he coughed, earning attention from all three parties, "I may have a solution that will leave only one person unhappy."

ssssssssss

"You've got to be kidding me," Arcee growled, glaring down Ratchet and Starscream as they stood before her, "He was supposed to be on communications duty with either Bee or Smokescreen."

"And neither of them are ready for something like that," Ratchet growled back, "You're not patrolling with him today. You're just going to update the maps we have and try to uncover some bases with him. See where we match up and what we're lacking in our files."

Arcee's vibrant optics bore holes into Starscream, but the seeker didn't seem to notice. He looked busy inside his own helm.

_This will be easier on you. You'll still be very helpful while taking care of your health. This benefits both parties._

Starscream did see the benefits of it all. He was not used to this sort of treatment regardless. Sure, his weapons had been disabled, yes, he did have a clamp on his wings, but his servos were free, his claws still sharp. They were trusting him. He was willing to give back for the time being…

_Is that supposed to underline an ulterior motive, Starscream? Remember, I still have faith in you. I'm willing to be here to help your transformation, however long it takes._

But the Autobots would never be nearly as patient, would they? Eventually, they'd want and expect more of him. Starscream wanted to be above that, above the mediocrity of their labors.

_But you are with them now, and you will be working the same jobs. Leaders are not suddenly found. They work to achieve the status._

Starscream grumbled, both Autobots' optics now on him; he recomposed himself, clearing his throat, "Ah, sorry. The clamp around my wing is troubling. I'm trying to ignore it."

Arcee rolled her optics, "Sure you are," she looked to Ratchet and nodded, "Fine, I'll take him. But I want surveillance on the both of us, rounds every joor from either Bee or Smokescreen. Got it?"

Ratchet nodded, "I'll be sure to check on the both of you myself as well. But let's get the both of you settled with the map, shall we?"

The medic walked pass Arcee, stepping into a control room. Starscream followed close to Ratchet, and Arcee brought up the rear, still watching the seeker warily.

Starscream sat at a round console that rested in the middle of the room and pressed a button on the side, a light sphere that looked like Cybertron hovering before them.

Ratchet nudged the seeker softly and Starscream frowned up at him, "What? It's what I'm here for, isn't it? Or would you rather I not be so helpful to the lot of you?"

The medic grumbled, "You could at least wait for the rest of us."

"You mean just me," Arcee said sharply, sitting across from Starscream as far away as she could, "And as soon as I'm done with this, I don't expect to be spending this much time with him like this again."

Starscream expected this sort of reaction, he knew. And the seeker just shrugged it off.

"Fine, then we finish this and move on. Better, Arcee?"

She glared at him, "Super, Starscream," she turned to Ratchet and waved him off, "I'll see you in a bit. Maybe if we're lucky, he'll teach us something I haven't already found."

The medic nodded and left, leaving the seeker to glare back at Arcee. How dare she think him useless. He could prove her wrong so easily, just like he had proved to Cliffjumper he was no one's slave.

_Would that help your cause here, Starscream? To harm her? You would still have to leave this room and find the others so they would not try to seek revenge._

True, that was a downside…

_Prove her wrong by giving her knowledge. She cannot take that from you, and it is something you hold over her. Whether you share your knowledge or not can either make others around you very strong or very weak._

Starscream slowly smiled at the thought. He was very powerful in this position, wasn't he?

Arcee snapped her digits at him, "Hey, what's so funny, fly boy?"

The seeker's optics flickered and he glanced at her, "Oh, just my own thoughts, two-wheeler. Shall we get started? The longer I remain silent, the longer you will have to sit in the same room as me."

She scowled and stood, highlighting a large section of the planet, "We've agreed that my efforts should be concentrated here. Bulkhead's been building in this area with the Vehicons and Smokescreen and Bee have been cycling messages to refugees with these coordinates. We're going to settle this area first before expanding out."

Starscream sat back uncomfortably with his wings pinched, taking in the vast amount of space she'd shown him. It was rather extensive. Only a handful of Autobots and drones to one city, that would take some time to repair. But he shook his helm and stood too, highlighting a smaller area in the one she'd selected.

"Have you already searched here?" he asked, "I know it's on the outskirts, but I don't know how you've been searching the city."

Arcee smirked, "I've already checked there," she said smugly, "Two abandoned Decepticon outposts and a small reserve of Energon. We already collected it."

Starscream frowned a little, "Look, I understand completely how very tense this is."

"Do you?"

"Yes," he hissed, "I do. But if you want me out of here, then let me assist with what you're already doing. I'm sure you would have found everything without my intervention anyway, but this will make your job easier."

Arcee only glared at him, crossing her arms.

She didn't speak, so he continued, "So," he asked softly, "Where have you already looked? I don't need to waste your time pointing out places you've already scoured."

The femme watched him for a moment, then dropped her arms, pointing at a side report on the side of the map that highlighted her previous destinations, "Fine. Here, these are the details. You can select a place and see what I've noted that I found there."

Starscream did so, opening each location file and going over the details. He could see she was very thorough, but she was missing a few key places that could have been easily overlooked. Even by a Decepticon. Starscream only knew she had missed them because he was told they would be there.

_Are you going to gloat about her mistake?_

Starscream frowned a little, Arcee taking note, but not saying anything. The voice was beginning to become that nuisance. Always questioning his thoughts or having some sort of input about everything he was thinking. He had thought about rubbing it in her faceplates, but as the voice always seems to ask, what good would that do anyone?

"No," Starscream grumbled, "I'll leave it."

Arcee frowned, "What?"

Starscream felt his wings try to droop, being held back by the clamp, and he coughed, "My apologies, inner thoughts getting jumbled about, ahh…" he pointed, "You are a very thorough scout, Arcee, but you did miss a few reserves here, here and two in here. Shockwave hid them himself, personally. They were for higher ranking Decepticons to find, not for lower drones, and especially not Autobots. I'm not surprised they're not in your reports or on your map, but it would be good to see if they're still untouched…"

He stared at the map a moment longer, inputting the data he'd just given to Arcee, then glanced at her for a moment, seeing the confused and tormented expression on her face. But she wasn't mad at herself, was she?

_No, she's probably confused by you._

He was making Arcee quite upset just by being helpful? Why, this was an interesting turn of events, wasn't it? He needed not make some snide remark or dangerous gesture to harm the Autobots. Being out of sorts seemed to do that quite nicely.

_It does for the time being, but soon they will grow accustomed to this nicer behavior. Do not feel as though you need to prove yourself here, Starscream. Give them the help you can and they will respect it._

Starscream shrugged, "If you would prefer I leave for a time so that you may collect your thoughts, that may be wise. I do not wish to further anger you."

"Anger?" Arcee said softly, "I guess this is just hard for me, Starscream. I want to hurt you for all the suffering you've put us through, put me through, but you're not doing anything."

Starscream nodded, "Then if you would like a replacement to come watch me while you take a break, we can do that."

He anticipated her calling for Smokescreen or Bee, so the seeker sat down, but then he was met with confusion when she shook her helm and said, "No."

He perked up, "No?"

Arcee sighed, "Let's get as much done as possible. Tomorrow, I want to hit all the places I missed. If they're still untouched, as you seem to think they are, they should be a nice cache."

Starscream nodded slowly, "All right. We'll keep going then…" he stood up and began pointing out more spots for her to investigate.

_You're doing very well. See what happens when you don't have to fight the ones around you?_

ssssssssss

**Don't worry, I'll write a sixth chapter.**


	6. See the Marks

**I like Transformers. You like Transformers?**

ssssssssss

Smokescreen grumbled as he walked to the holo-map room. Ratchet had finally managed to wrestle him from his console and get him to go check on Arcee. Smokescreen knew she could handle herself. But even so, he didn't want to even be near the seeker. He could easily hurt someone.

But the blue mech was sent out by the grumpy old medic and told to check in with Arcee.

Smokescreen came to the door and opened it, glaring cautiously into the room, "Hey, Arcee?" he walked in, seeing the both of them looking at the map, "Everything going all right?"

Starscream smirked, adding more details to a set of coordinates Arcee hadn't been to yet, "Oh, we're smooth as silk. If you'd like to hide out with us for a while, I extend an invitation."

Smokescreen frowned and looked to Arcee, who shrugged, "This has actually been nice."  
"And Ratchet's not here," the seeker chuckled, "I'm sure that would be a bonus for you."

The blue mech huffed, "I'm just here to make sure you didn't decide to try and offline Arcee."

Starscream frowned. He didn't like assumptions to be made about him. He growled softly and clenched his servos into fists.

_Don't get upset. Let Smokescreen speak his mind. He's still wary of you and will be for some time. They all will be. Arcee is calm now, but should you move suddenly don't you think she'll assume hostility? Let him change his mind of you later. Now, let him say what he needs to to make himself feel as though you've been warned._

The seeker took a deep intake and just grumbled, going back to finish up the details in his notes.

Smokescreen came around the side, staring, "What, nothing to add to that?"

_He's challenging you. If you say something, he'll feel it has been accepted. Should you respond, be very careful with your choice of words._

Starscream glared at him, "I am offended by your assumption," _Starscream, carefully_, "but I understand why you said it. A rock is not smoothed over by impatient servos, and I do not expect my being here under a promise of no harm to you will be the same as that rock. Trust takes time…" _very good_, "and should I stay here, there will be plenty of it."

Arcee watched him, laid back in her chair, "Hoping for that?"

The seeker hmmed, "No, not really," he stopped his work to think, "but being here is better than where I was. I do believe Predaking and the other Predacons will happily claim Dark Mount for their own now. And I'm not eager to go back to it anytime soon…"

Smokescreen nodded, observing Starscream carefully; after a moment, he nodded again, "Keep up the good behavior and you can be here as long as you like," he looked to Arcee as he headed to the door, "Bee and I will come down in shifts. See you later."

"See you later," Arcee responded as the door closed.

When it became silent again, Starscream growled, going back to his work, "How dare he treat me like a child! Insecticons are given better treatment when spoken to!"

Arcee wasn't fazed by the outburst; she actually expected it, "Can you blame him? The rest of us? Starscream, in all the time we've known you, it's been nothing but two-faced deals and back stabbings. We need to keep our guard up for our own sake. We're entitled to that," the seeker grumbled, but she continued, "just like I'm entitled to hate you for Cliffjumper."

Starscream stopped typing all together and froze. Primus, he wished Optimus was here and alive right now. He had no weapons, his wings may as well have been clipped and servo-to-servo combat is where Arcee excelled; even with his claws, he'd be at a disadvantage.

_Intake, relax. I've not left you. I won't allow this situation to escalate, I promise. I will guide you through it…_

Starscream gulped a little, trying to shrug off the comment and type again, but his digits wouldn't move.

Arcee looked away, off into memories, "I'd thought about it a lot, you know. Before I knew it was you. About what I would do to the mech that killed Cliff…"

The seeker felt his frame tremble, but he still said nothing. This must have been why she was so calm. She must have been getting ready to kill him.

_Ease your self and your mind. Let her speak. Do not assume her position as Smokescreen did to you. She wants to say something, so let her._

"I thought about hurting that mech, ripping him to pieces, tearing him limb from limb and making him tell me why," Arcee continued, flicking nothing off her chair's arm rest, "When I learned it was you, I was ready to kill you that day. I was ready to kill you for many other days after that," she sighed, "And the anger drained me so much. Now that we're here, now that we're home, I don't want to feel angry anymore. But I don't want to live on this world, with you so close by, without knowing why."

Starscream gulped again and slowly turned to look at her, Arcee's gaze already on him, "So I'm going to ask you only once, Starscream. After this, I want to feel that I'm at peace," she took a deep intake, "What were Cliffjumper's last moments like? Why did you kill him?"

The seeker cast his gaze down, keeping his mouth shut. Provoking her at this range could easily land his helm on the floor or his spark ripped out.

_She will not. Give her fact, not fiction, and she will not harm you. She asks for peace, not conflict._

"He…" Starscream almost whispered, "he asked me where my master was. He… he didn't use the word… He didn't say 'slave', but he may as well have called me one. I am no one's slave, Arcee. I never have been. I may have been Megatron's underling, but I was never his slave. For Cliffjumper to bring that assumption into the situation, he played a dangerous game."

Arcee turned away, shaking her helm. Decepticons had begun the war to fight slavery and corruption. But once Megatron had shown his true intentions, they had become what they were once fighting. They tried to turn their sufferings onto the ones who had been delivering it.

"He died defiant," Starscream continued, "He died, looking me in the optic with no fear. He wasn't ready by any means, but he was not afraid."

Arcee's optics began to well up with tears, but she wiped them away as the seeker sighed, "I envy him in that regard. I've met death quite a few times," he went back to typing, "and it still frightens me to no end."

Starscream nearly jumped when Arcee's servo settled over his, pulling them from the keyboard, "Come on, lets take a break," she stood, heading for the door without him, "we both need it."

Starscream watched her go to the door and stand there, waiting for him. He was still shaken, but after regaining his bearings, he stood and followed, walking behind her with his servos firmly planted behind his back.

ssssssssss

Bulkhead's laughter got to his audials first. They were heading to a lounge of sorts, a place the higher-ranking Con officers went to to take a break and refuel. Most of the Autobots were already in there, laughing and talking. Starscream still walked behind Arcee and as she went through the lounge door first, Bulkhead greeted her happily.

"Hey, 'Cee's back! Finally finish with that dingbat?" he chuckled; when Starscream followed her in, his expression fell flat, "Oh."

"Hey," Arcee replied, "we need to refuel to," she went to a distillery unit, pouring herself a cube, "We're hard at work finding new caches. Might as well be a treasure hunt," she gestured for Starscream to get his own cube, then went over by Bulkhead, sitting down.

The seeker didn't move though, he just watched.

_Do as you would. Let go of your fears. Just be. Sometimes, it's harder to put up the front than let your fears go._

Starscream turned and retrieved his own cube, all the while feeling optics at his back. He could hear them whispering too, but he just let it go. Sometimes, it was just easier.

"Sorry, but it seems this area's kinda full up, Screamer," Wheeljack smirked, getting comfortable in his seat.

The seeker looked back, noting that the group of them, all of them, were sitting in a sort of circle with the benches and chairs so that they could talk with one another. The setup had changed very little from its original design and he shrugged.

"That's fine," he murmured, sitting on a stool with a little table in front off to the corner, "This was my usual seat anyway."

He sat facing them, which was something he had never done in this room before, but proceeded to ignore them nonetheless. That didn't seem to change their demeanor. The tension was thick enough to make a mech go blind in the room.

Finally, Knockout perked up, chuckling, "You know, I could tell you some strange things have happened in this room. Especially when the Vehicons were involved…"

Starscream shut them out, setting his cube on the table in front of him and resting his chin on the back of a servo, staring at the wall. He could see the etch marks from cycles passed, ones he had left to mark countdowns to rebellion, the times Megatron had displeased him, when he found Knockout annoying... They really lost all meaning at some point, he couldn't remember when. Soon they just became habit. When he would sit there, he would etch a small line into the wall. There were hundreds of them.

He did so now, quietly, as not to attract attention, then flicked the bit of purple paint from his claw and lifted his cube, sipping at it.

A bit of laughter brought him back to the world he'd left his chassis in and he silently cursed the voice that had been there earlier, his conscience or something. Where was it when he actually wanted it?

_You want my presence now?_

The room seemed to get dark. To Starscream, he felt like it was just him, the table he was sitting at, and the empty stool in front of him. He tried to imagine a body for the voice, but at present, the easiest to imagine was a Vehicon. He'd seen so many he practically knew their forms by spark.

_I do not think I was ever a Vehicon, but I suppose I should thank you for wanting to give me form anyway._

Then what were you? If you were a Cybertronian having already lived?

_Was I? Did I ever say I had been alive?_

Starscream frowned. He had just assumed-

_I thought we went over assumptions. Never assume. Most of the time, they can be wrong and lead to misunderstandings._

Starscream sipped from his cube again. Now he regretted wanting the voice there.

_Do you? Would you prefer I leave?_

He wanted to think 'yes', but he had wished for company that wasn't so willing to judge him simply because of his presence. He downed the rest of his cube, then heard the voice laugh softly.

_They would like your attention._

Scrap, now he could hear them calling his name.

_Don't worry, I won't be far, I never am…_

"Star. Scream!" Ratchet hollered.

The seeker was jolted back from within his mind and his gaze leveled to the group, all of whom were staring. He felt so small.

"Uh, what, yes?" he stammered.

Ratchet sighed, "Arcee just explained how you've added new designations for her to search. There are quite a few of them that you've given her. Smokescreen has volunteered to go with her to help assess them. And I am asking you if you'd like to join them."

Smokescreen looked angry, arms crossed and helm turned away, but Ratchet asked again, "Starscream, can we trust you to help with a scouting of the area tomorrow?"

_Yes, Starscream, they can._

Starscream nodded slightly, looking up at Ratchet, "Yes, doctor, you can."

ssssssssss

**I like writing. You like writing?**


	7. Falling Down

**Writing late is fun. I've never written so fast in my life.**

ssssssssss

"I can't believe Ratchet made us do this," Smokescreen grumbled, aiming his blaster around as they looked carefully over fallen buildings and rubble, "We're bound to be killed by you out here."

"Oh, I'm sorry I'm not psychic," Starscream retorted, following closely, "I don't understand what Ratchet is thinking, but perhaps…"

_Earlier, I told you, remember? He wants to integrate you faster._

"Yeah, what?" Smokescreen called back to him.

Starscream frowned, "Maybe he simply wants to get the hard parts over with. To integrate me into the group faster and just call it a day."

Smokescreen huffed, turning back, "Yeah, sure, and leave the rest of us in a murdered heap."

"Both of you, stop bickering," Arcee called from the back, towering over them on the wall of a building that had split in half, "Primus, if I were an Insecticon, I'd be able to hear you clear across the Sea of Rust!"

Starscream scoffed, folding his arms, while Smokescreen kicked at a rock, trying to seem disinterested.

Arcee smiled to herself once they'd settled down, looking as far ahead as she could, "They're worse than the kids on a bad day…"

After a moment, Smokescreen called up to her, "Well? See anything?"

The femme nodded, "A bit!" she dropped down, landing carefully beside the two, "But we have a problem. Starscream, the building you added to the map, it's gone. And if it's gone, then the hidden supplies are likely destroyed with it as well."

"Ah, no, not necessarily," the seeker shook his helm, "That particular cache was hidden in the foundations of the structure. We will find it, I can promise you that."

Smokescreen scoffed, walking ahead, "Don't make promises you've already broken, Screamer."

Starscream frowned, following, "_Star_scream," he emphasized, "You don't see me calling you 'Smokey'."

"Well, I'd have to shoot you if you did."

"You'd be lucky to have the chance at a shot."

Arcee rolled her optics and followed along, their bickering having become commonplace after the first few joors earlier that cycle.

ssssssssss

The building wasn't as flattened as it had appeared from where Arcee had been perched earlier. It was still mostly in a state of 'simply been destroyed', but the foundation was still present. Starscream looked smug as he walked about the exposed floors, kicking stones and rubble out of his way.

"Yes, it is as I predicted, isn't it?" he purred, "The foundation is still here, and with it, our prize."

_That wasn't very humble, was it?_

It may not have been, but the look on Smokescreen's faceplate made Starscream happy. For once, the blue mech was silent.

"Now," Starscream coughed, moving about the area, "comes the difficult part."

Arcee frowned, "What do you mean? What else do we have to do?"

The seeker pulled large pieces of metal off the surface area of the floor, inspecting the foundation, "There is a secret opening that leads to the cache. We need to find it and get it open."

"And you don't know what it looks like," Smokescreen stated matter of factly.

He was mocking the seeker and Starscream knew it.

Red optics glared up at blue ones and he hissed quietly, "So, we need to find it and get it open."

Arcee waved Smokescreen off and went in beside Starscream, moving pieces and looking for any interesting cracks in the molds, "Something Shockwave would've hid, right? So it's not going to be blatantly Decepticon."

"No, not at all," Starscream sighed, "It's going to be," he coughed, trying to deepen his voice, "logical to the situation and task at hand."

Smokescreen snorted to cover his amused laugh, "Nice Shockwave."

The seeker smirked, "You should see my Soundwave impression," he pushed on a piece of metal, "It really kills on mic-night- Slag!" he suddenly shouted, wrenching his servo away and cradling the digits tenderly.

Both Arcee and Smokescreen had their blasters aimed and ready, waiting for something to strike. After nothing happened, Smokescreen glared.

"Well what was that, are you trying to scare us?!"

"What?!" Starscream hollered back, "Frag no," he held up his servo, which was leaking Energon profusely, "I've been wounded and the pain surprised me, you-"

_Starscream, end it there. There is no need to escalate things…_

Instead, the seeker scowled, feigning another wave of pain to get out of speaking. Arcee cautiously moved to Starscream's side and peered under the bit of metal he had tried to move.

"Something's wedged in there," she assessed, "I think I can reach it."

Smokescreen watched, worry in his voice as he spoke, "Careful, 'Cee, we don't know what it is."

The femme reached under anyway, pulling out a sharpened wedge of metal, "It's just scrap. Starscream, you need to be more careful-"

"No, don't toss it!" Starscream yelped, grabbing Arcee's wrist before she could throw the piece away, "Look!"

Arcee was very surprised at Starscream grabbing her, but did as he told her, inspecting the metal that cut the seeker's servo. It was purple, not like the rest of the metal around them, and it wasn't sharpened from damage, it was done so on purpose.

"See?" Starscream said softly, "We need that…" he looked at the center of the foundation floor, noticing the misplaced dent in the center of it, "There. Press it in."

Smokescreen looked to Arcee for some kind of direction, but she only shrugged, doing as Starscream asked, "Hey, faster we get this done," she pressed the metal into the floor, "faster we get-"

The floor beneath them dropped open, landing Starscream and Arcee on top of a pile of thermal blankets, gently folded over boxes and boxes of chemicals, medical supplies, engineering parts, basic amenities, and, most importantly, stores of Energon.

Arcee stared around in disbelief at all that had been hidden beneath them, while Starscream smiled, laughing despite the throbbing in his servo, "Ha! You see," he called up out of the hole, "I told you it was still here! Quick, Smokey, bring us a ladder and something to carry this all with!"

ssssssssss

_You did very well today. I can easily say, I'm proud._

Starscream stared down at his patched servo, taking in the intricate work Ratchet had performed on him while everyone else had been busy emptying the lost treasure trove Shockwave had hidden away during the war. That medic was a fantastic healer. And he did his work without as much complaint as Knockout.

The seeker smiled at the comment, then lost it again when the voice spoke.

_If you keep this up, you'll find your place. I know this. No one will be able to take that from you._

Starscream shook his helm. He didn't want to talk to the voice right now. He wasn't in the mood.

_Why not? Have I done something wrong?_

No, the voice hadn't, but the 'something' hadn't happened just yet.

_Starscream, your assumptions border on paranoia-_

This wasn't paranoia. It was what was going to happen. Starscream stood, flexing his servo. His place was not with the Autobots. He was not staying much longer if he could help it.

_What do you mean? You're doing so well. You just gave them reason to trust you and though it is not a great amount, it is still some. Progress is progress, remember? Why would you want to take that away when you've worked this hard to gain that much?_

The seeker shook his helm, imagining that the voice was being shaken away and silenced, if only for the moment. He wasn't going to discuss or be swayed. He was going to leave the Autobots as quickly as he could.

But if he didn't have to harm them to get away, that would be all the better.

ssssssssss

**Nice! Starscream isn't here yet. He's got a while to go before that.**


	8. Flying Out

**Last one for the night...**

ssssssssss

"Easy, easy!" Bulkhead called, sighing, "By the Allspark, do any of you know how to take proper direction? The frame won't sit right if the foundation isn't mixed long enough and left to set, so how are we supposed to build on top of something that's crooked?"

The Vehicons above the green Autobot shrugged, looking at each other for the answer.

"The answer is we don't!" Starscream yelled up to them, "So when your foreman tells you what to do, be sure to do it right the first time or we have to scrap it all and start over!"

Bulkhead watched the seeker in amusement, huffing, "I guess this was pretty much regular basis for you back on the Nemesis, huh?"

Starscream shook his helm, "And every mine Megatron wanted harvested. You have no idea the anger you need to get them to finally understand what you want," he watched as a Vehicon knocked over a few others on break with a long pole as he turned; the seeker snarled, hollering up, "For Primus' sake, the next one of you who frags up gets it! Humans buried their workers in the Great Wall of China, think of what I'll have done to you!"

The drones scattered about, those on break getting back to work and those already working trying to do so at a faster pace.

Starscream grumbled tiredly and huffed, folding his servos behind his back, "This will be a very long cycle…"

Bulkhead's optics flickered and he coughed, "Yeah, maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Look, thanks for getting them in line, Starscream, but mining for Energon and constructing a building takes a different set of leadership skills."

The seeker peered at the green mech in what appeared to be offense, but he didn't say as much, "Look, my servo is still sensitive. Ratchet told you, told everyone, that until tomorrow I should try to use it as little as possible. No typing, no digging through rubble, no excursions. My vocals work perfectly well. Whatever trouble you have getting through a drone's thick processor, I can easily pierce through."

"Yeah," Bulkhead shrugged, holding his datapad close, "but still, do they really need to be told they're gonna die if they mess up? They pretty much off themselves without really meaning it."

Starscream hung his helm, "Shockwave didn't design the drones to be perfect, he designed them to listen to Megatron. And Megatron yells and threatens a lot. Or at least he did… still does… last time I saw him, he did. So that's what they respond to."

The seeker frowned and rubbed at his audial, the sound of static grating in his COMM, "Besides, after a long day of work like this, a mech tends to lose patience anyways. The loud noises force you to yell, schedules fall behind and you get angry. It happens…"

_Please, Starscream, I'm asking you, don't do this. Think about your decision before you make it so._

He ignored the voice, coughing, "Have you thought about taking a few cycles, even a solar cycle, to educate them on the basics of construction?"

Bulkhead nodded, "I did, but we don't have that sort of time. Jackie's a few buildings over trying to get the power grid situation figured out and Ultra Magnus is the only other mech I can think of that would be able to take over for me here if he knew anything about this kind of work."

Starscream shook his helm, "What a shame…"

_Starscream, listen to me. I know I have no control over what you do, but I'm asking you to listen to me. This doesn't have to go down a path that will only make things more difficult for yourself._

This voice didn't know when to quit, did it?

Bulkhead walked up to a pair of Vehicons, pointing out large, thin sheets of metal, "Get that to floor sixteen, they're stuck sitting around until they have it. Then tell your buddies on the seventh floor to stop kicking debris over the side. Knockout says if we send him one more Vehicon with a helm injury, he's just going to fix it so none of you gets to have a helm anymore."

Starscream watched Bulkhead work, rubbing at his audial when the static came back again. This site sure was full of noise wasn't it? Too bad none of it was enough to drown out that voice.

_Starscream, you can ignore me, but I know you can hear me. Stop and think about this decision and how it will affect you in the next few cycles. This can only hurt you._

Could it? He seemed to be fine at the moment.

Above Bulkhead on the scaffolding, as the drones went off to do as he had asked and he inspected his datapad for any updates from Wheeljack, Starscream noted one of the Vehicons bump into a large and heavy roll of tightly compacted metal. Drones scattered as the roll moved and began to rumble down the scaffolding, diving over the edge.

"Bulkhead, move!" the seeker shouted, he himself running and diving to shove the larger mech out of the way of the oncoming danger.

Both fell just off to the side as the roll slammed into the ground, denting the metal plating below it and settling nicely as though it hadn't moved at all. Bulkhead stared at where he'd been standing in horror, then at Starscream, who was splayed out next to him, trying to catch his intakes.

"You…" the green mech trembled, "You…"

The seeker snorted, "Me, me, I'm right here."

"No," Bulkhead said sternly, standing and staring down at the mech, "You, you _saved_ my life."

Starscream nodded, "Yes… I did."

And he had. But this had been something he had been waiting for all day. He knew it would come eventually…

_Starscream… please. Don't do this…_

Bulkhead pulled him to his peds and almost laughed, "I… I had you all wrong. You really do want to change, don't you?"

"The world around me is changing, has changed, why shouldn't I?"

The green mech smiled warmly, "Yeah, yeah, that's a good way to think of it…" he looked at Starscream's wings, which were still tight in the clamp, "Hey, so… I know it's going to sound kind of demeaning, but um, how about a reward for saving me, huh? Ratchet gave me the key to that, you know. Just in case something happened while we were working out here."

Starscream's optics flickered, "Really? Are you sure? Shouldn't you check with the others first?"

Bulkhead laughed, "I'll COMM them as soon as you can stretch your wings, it's not a problem," he produced the key to the lock on the clamp, reaching over and unlocking it for the seeker, "But really, honestly, Starscream, thank you. I don't want to be remembered as the mech who survived the war only to be crushed rebuilding in the aftermath."

Starscream gave him a little smile, stretching his wings out wide, "Yes, I do understand the feeling. I suppose I should thank you in return."

Bulkhead nodded, then moved off a bit, activating his COMM, "Hey, Ratchet, you'll never guess what just happened…"

And then the Autobot's back was turned…

_I'm telling you, this will not help you. I'm not trying to control your actions, I'm trying to warn you that this will have consequence._

And would he be left for making the wrong choice?

… _In good conscience, I cannot, even if your choice pains me so._

Starscream flexed his claws and stretched his wings again as far as they would go as he watched Bulkhead rave to Ratchet, then Wheeljack, then Ultra Magnus, then Arcee…

_Look at this, look at this in front of you. Little by little, it adds up. The big jobs you do right go a long way and the little ones establish trust. But one stray from this, one wrongdoing, and you will be alone again. You will not find your peace running from these mechs or anyone else for that matter._

He ignored the voice. It'd been chattering all day trying to convince him otherwise. But he was firm in his decision. Being here wasn't right for him, it wasn't freeing, it was ensnaring, choking, making him gasp for something else, something more.

Bulkhead looked like a green, faceless mech at the distance he was at now. Just slow steps backwards. The buildings would soon hide him. And what would the drones do about it? They'd been ordered to work, not to stop him from getting away. So, he kept backing up… now Bulkhead was no more than a green dot… Backing up… he had disappeared… Backing up… the buildings were now his cover…

Starscream smirked and flexed his wings, then transformed, his engine screaming in ecstasy as his wings cut through the sky, ripped through light cloud formations, and spirited him away from the city to where he knew not yet.

ssssssssss

Bulkhead glanced back at Starscream, still smiling, "No way, Bee, I'm not lying, here ask-" he looked around, confused, "… Bee… he's gone…"

ssssssssss

**No. This is not the last chapter. Truly, this is just the beginning...**


	9. To Save Another

**Keep it up, I shall. Like I said, only the** **beginning**...

ssssssssss

_Are you happy with this decision? Are you content with where you've abandoned yourself now? I tried to help you and you threw my advice away. The patience within me is abundant, but I cannot continue to help you if you refuse my input._

Starscream continued to fly regardless. He didn't care. He was free to roam as he pleased. The light Cybertronian winds gusted beneath him and pulled him upwards and towards his unknown destination. The seeker didn't know where he would end up settling, but he knew he would have to land soon to regain his bearings.

_Why do you ignore me? Have I steered you wrong yet?_

No, the voice hadn't, but Starscream felt more and more like the decisions made for him were too controlling and he didn't like that.

_Did I ever make those decisions for you? Or did I simply suggest them and you liked the idea enough to use them?_

Frag this inner voice to the Pit.

Starscream dove in low to an outstretch of small abandoned buildings, transforming to land atop one with most of the roof gone. After a quick look around, he dove into the opening and settled himself among the rubble. He'd been flying nonstop for almost three joors. His engine needed a break. He needed one too.

The seeker sighed as he relaxed and put his peds up on some rubble in front of him, "This is better… It may not be luxury, but if being free is half of having luxury, then I'm already half way there."

_Is that what you think? Please, go on._

Starscream huffed, shaking his helm to drown out the voice and the static in his helm, "Spare me your opinions and disappointment. I have no use for them…" he snuggled in as much as he could and laid his helm back, purring, "But I do have use of a long and well deserved recharge. Leave me to my slumber…"

_You can ignore me all you wish, Starscream. But I will not leave you yet._

But Starscream was already unconscious.

ssssssssss

The place around him wasn't dark anymore. It was gray. Gray and with little detail, but it was an improvement from before. Starscream looked around, dreading.

"My," he hmmed, "back here again, are we?"

"Yes," the voice responded, "we are."

The seeker tried to place the voice again, he didn't like how disembodied it was, without form without direction, he couldn't place it. That made him feel vulnerable.

Starscream scowled, "I don't like tricks. You said before you could regain a body once obstacles had been met. So, have they?"

"At this time? No."

"What?!" Starscream stomped a ped down, "How dare you! I made progress!"

"Two steps forward, many steps back," the voice sighed sadly, "I was very proud of your achievements. I still am, though you have decided to leave them behind."

The seeker snorted, crossing his arms, "And what do I have to prove to you? You're nothing but a noise that forms words!"

"And yet I chose to help you through a dark time. To stay instead of abandoning you."

Starscream growled, still trying to locate the source of the voice. Even in his recharge he was plagued by it.

"Why not settle for a compromise?" the voice asked, "I can reward you with either a restful recharge or a glimpse of my form. Which would you prefer?"

The seeker's wings perked and he hmmed softly. A nice long recharge would be quite lovely, especially after all he'd been through the past solar cycle. But to know who spoke to him, who tormented and questioned his every action? That was very tempting. And who knew when the voice would offer it again?

"I will settle for what little of you you're offering to let me see," Starscream decided, "It will be much more relaxing to know at least the smallest bit of who keeps… advising me."

"So I shall grant you that."

A very gentle rumble in Starscream's subconscious vibrated the space around him. He looked around to see where the source was coming from, spinning anxiously in his dream to find the other being. He was stopped and thrown backwards when he bumped into something face first, landing back next to a pile of rubble as he cursed and rubbed his sore cheekplate, looking up.

Starscream's wings drooped as he found himself staring up at a large white form. It was Cybertronian-like in shape, but there was no defining detail. A glow around the white being blurred the figure even more, taking away even the shape of the digits and making it appear as though the servos were one large lump.

But the optics were a soft glow of blue and a thin, gray line did identify a smile on what Starscream was sure was the face. The figure reached a servo down, the smile not yet fading.

"My apologies, Starscream," the figure said softly, "I didn't think you would react to my formation in such a way," the seeker took the help, pulling himself up, "Were you hurt?"

Starscream frowned, shoving the servo away once he no longer needed it, "Hurt? In a dream? Not at all! How could I be?"

The being's optics flickered gently, "There are many ways, but you seem to be fine, so I'll not press any further."

"Good," Starscream huffed, crossing his arms again, "see that you don't."

The seeker peered at the figure carefully, deciding that the larger shoulder size made it a mech. He wasn't too much taller than himself, either. About as tall as Bulkhead, in fact.

"Come," the figure smiled, sitting on a gray formation by the floor, "Please, sit. If you do not mind, I wish to speak with you about the matters as of late."

Starscream frowned, "And do you think I wish to speak about them with you?"

The mech shook his white, blurred out helm, "Not at all, but that does not mean I will not ask. How am I to know without asking first?"

The seeker grumbled, sitting awkwardly beside the figure, "Hmm, well I suppose you wouldn't."

That smile appeared again, "Precisely. Now, may I make some inquiries?"

Starscream sighed in defeat, resting his elbows on his knees, helm in his servos, "At this point, I can't ask you to stop, can I? You will still press to understand what drives me. So, by all means, ask away."

"Why are you leaving what could have been your best chance at a new life?"

The seeker choked a bit on his own intake, sputtering, "Going straight for the throat, are we?"

The figure's optics flickered again, "Before, you did not wish me to beat around the bush. Would you prefer I do so now?"

Starscream growled, "No, but really? That's your first question?" he sighed heavily, the mech just watching and waiting, "Would it really have benefitted me to stay there? They despise me every waking moment. To be in their presence angers some of them, even if I've done nothing at all. It didn't matter that Bulkhead was saved. I knew that something of the like would happen on his construction site any way and that I could benefit from rescuing him. Do you think the others would have agreed to release my wings after our cycle's work was done?"

The mech still watched him, optics saddened, "Perhaps not. But the favor you gave Bulkhead for saving his life was tarnished when you took the favor he gave you of your wings and used it to escape. You will need to go back. And they will not trust to reward you with freedoms if you use them to exact your own use of the word."

Starscream hmmed, not saying much to that; instead, he looked up at the gray sky, picking out white, dewy dots that were stars above him, "Why should I have stayed to help them anyway? Besides rebuilding this world?"

"You do not see the greatness in helping them, helping others, do you?"

The seeker didn't look at the being, "It's not helping me, is it?"

The figure seemed taken aback, because he didn't speak at first, "… Is this what plagues you?"

Starscream's wings perked up in surprise, "Plagues _me_? You're the one that plagues me!"

But the figure ignored the response, "Starscream, from what I feel coming from you, you have been harshly treated and scorned for a very long time. And when no one was there to beat you down, physically, emotionally, you did so yourself by only remembering failures," the seeker's optics welled up as he started remembering now, "The pain, the loneliness, the betrayal, the fear, the starvation, the hate, the sadness, you bore all this for so long and in such excesses you can only see saving yourself."

Starscream was trembling as the figure spoke.

Frag this inner voice to the Pit…

"And," the seeker choked, his voice nearly audible, "what am I supposed to do? I'm supposed to simply let all of that go?"

The mech shook his helm, "No," he set a blurred servo on Starscream's shoulder, but the seeker could feel the digits, "You must see your inner sufferings in the ones who live around you. To help them is to help yourself. Remember the pains you suffered. Remember the thoughts you would have when you thought the next intake you held would be your last. See yourself in them. And then save yourself from those pains."

Starscream's wings perked up as the thought sunk in, as he wrapped his mind around the idea. To save them _was_ to save himself…

The world around the pair began to rumble again and the figure's optics looked about in worry.

"What?" Starscream sprung to his peds, "What is it?"

"Someone is close by, someone dangerous," the mech said deeply, standing, "You are going to awaken. I will be with you shortly, but stay on your guard…" the voice became distant, the world blurring in white and making the form disappear, "I will not leave you…"

ssssssssss

Starscream woke with a start and looked around carefully. The voice had said someone dangerous was nearby. What if it was a Predacon?

The seeker heard movement, distant, but getting closer. The more he strained to hear it, the more it sounded like…

"Megatron's engines," the seeker gasped, and he scrambled to get up and see where his former leader was coming from.

Peeking out the hole in the ceiling, Starscream looked to the sky, seeing the large mech's air form circle once, then drop, transforming to land heavily on the ground. Elation took over the seeker and he pulled himself out of the building, rushing to meet him. Maybe his former leader could help relieve some of the sufferings. If he had changed, he could help Starscream.

"Megatron!" the seeker called, running to the large mech's side, "Megatron, it's an honor to see you out here-"

"Ahh, Starscream," Megatron rumbled, turning to look at him, "Just the mech I have been searching for…"

Starscream's wings perked; maybe this would be easier after all, "You have?"

Megatron chuckled, taking a heavy step forward, "But of course, why wouldn't I?"

The seeker frowned a little, "I… I don't know, why wouldn't you?"

Something wasn't right. Something was… troubling…

But Megatron only smiled, "This vast world… I've been around it many times, Starscream. Before the war, it was quite a sight to behold…"

"Y… yes, sir, I remember," Starscream mumbled.

The large mech continued, "And now, after it has been saved, it lies in ruins. Destroyed by my servos, your servos, all of our servos…"

The seeker didn't like the way Megatron spoke… Where was that inner voice?

"But now, after all this time, I see my mistakes. I see what scars I have left on this world, on those who stood at my side, who put themselves after the cause and after me," Megatron stood tall, almost proud, "Those are the ones who were harmed the most."

Starscream gulped a little; he was in a state of confusion, "Ahh… I see my lord, thank you."

The large mech peered down at him, "Do not thank me yet, Starscream. Allow me to finish…" he gestured to the buildings around them, "Some of those who were at my side need to be mended, much like this world," his gaze came to Starscream, "And then there are those who cannot be saved…"

Slag, he knew it.

Starscream backed up slowly, servos up in defense, "N-now, wait a moment, my liege, I am working to change my ways as well-"

"And yet," Megatron advanced, "you are the greatest symbol of my oppression. The greatest creation bore from my tyranny. I've harmed you most of all, Starscream. The only way to fix you is to give you peace…" a sword erupted from Megatron's arm and the seeker whimpered, "Consider this my greatest gift to you…"

_Run._

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**I like this Megatron better. I can see him baking me** **cookies**...


	10. Rescuing Yourself

**I like people. People are nice. Nice people left me some comments. They tasted like nail-cake.**

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Starscream did scream when Megatron lashed out his first blow. He was terrified. Maybe reasoning with him wasn't far off. Frag everyone who thought he was a coward; he wasn't going to fight this.

The seeker dove for cover and nearly sobbed, calling out, "Stop this, you've contracted some sort of lunacy, my liege!"

"Ah, you see?" Megatron chuckled, optics wide with insanity, "You still see me as your ruler, your master. This is what I've done to you, Starscream. The only way to stop your suffering is to end your spark!" he struck down with his blade, rendering Starscream's hiding place little more than a pile of rubble.

Starscream yelped and dove away, still trying to run. He could fly. Fly, fly, fly as fast as he could.

_If you try to fly away now, he will pursue you and hunt you down once you've tired. Stay strong and keep talking to him. Avoid getting too close in proximity. I will alert you once an escape presents itself._

Starscream whimpered and hid behind another building, "Y-you speak of change, in both your ways and this world, but look! You're still destroying it, and trying to destroy me!"

"I am releasing you from the bonds that have been beaten into you since the war began," Megatron rumbled, "Would it not be better to be free and start again? Not knowing the pains of another life?"

The blade cracked against a girder, slicing it out of the large mech's way, causing Starscream to tremble from behind his crumbling shield, "I want to know this life! It is mine! And I want to change!"

Megatron roared, slashing his blade into the wall the seeker hid behind, "But you can't! I know you, Starscream; you will be forever tormented and ripped apart by your own nature! Eaten alive by the very essence that is you! This is what I nurtured inside you from the first beating to the last! And I must fix my mistake!"

The large mech crashed through the wall, reaching to grab Starscream and pull him out, but the seeker scrambled, screaming and yelling. He didn't care what heard him, Autobot, Predacon, or other; he just wanted someone to hear him, someone to save him.

_There is no one, Starscream. But I am here to make sure you get out of this alive. And you will if you remain calm. Start heading towards the large buildings. We'll go from there._

He didn't waste time thinking about it. The voice said go and he was doing it, Megatron's large form rumbling after him. What Starscream lacked in strength he made up for in his speed and he was speeding through ruined and empty streets as fast as he could.

The large mech behind him was giving quite the chase though. Soon enough he would trip or misstep and that would be Megatron's window of opportunity.

_Keep talking to him. I'll keep looking._

Starscream gasped his intakes in as he ran, yelling back at the monster the best that he could, "Would it end with me, Megatron? Would the massacre of ruined mechs you created start and end with my death?"

Megatron seemed to sneer, still trying to gain on the seeker, "I've inflicted the same pain upon many others, Starscream! None as severe as your own! But who's to say Shockwave, Knockout, or even Soundwave won't become another one of you?" a red energy built up in the large mech's servo and he fired it at Starscream, missing by mere inches, "This world needs to be saved from mechs like you!"

Starscream ducked when another blast tried to hit him in the back of the helm and he felt a pit in his gut begin to form when he felt the heat of the shot on his neck. That had been too close.

_Turn suddenly, he won't be able to make the same movement as you. This will help create distance._

The seeker choked back a sob and did so, suddenly turning onto another street and running as fast as he could down a narrow alley. Megatron roared at the quick turn and tried to mimic it himself, but true to the voice's word, the large mech nearly lost his footing and had to stabilize before continuing his pursuit.

Starscream wanted to intake a sigh of relief but he could still hear Megatron growling angrily behind him at the end of the alley, trying to chase him despite the alley being too small.

"Starscream!" he hollered, "Do not cower from your salvation! Embrace it! This will end all your pain!" he aimed dead center down the alley and fired, the shot heading for Starscream's back.

_Down, down! On the ground!_

The seeker yelped and dropped entirely, the blast just barely missing him and destroying the exit in front of him. He looked up in horror, then up at the sky, but Megatron saw it first. With as fast a leap as he could muster, the large mech was atop the two buildings creating the alley, and had fired a shot at the other end of it, blocking Starscream in.

Megatron laughed loudly, "Do not worry, Starscream, I do not intend to let you linger. This is my mercy. I am releasing you from your endless suffering and protecting this world from future tyrants…"

Starscream was so scared, he just started screaming, hollering up at the mech as his optics filled with tears, "Nothing you do will stop someone else from trying to rule as you did! Your ways of protecting this world will bring it right back to the oppression you inflicted on me and everyone else under your command! You know no peace!" he cried out when a shot just barely hit his leg, then dove to avoid another.

Megatron kept firing down at the trapped seeker, each time getting closer and closer. Starscream wanted to fire back, he truly did. But Ratchet _had _disabled his weapons. Transforming was one thing, but his missiles and blasters were unavailable to him.

He started crying freely when he saw how little space he had to avoid more of the blaster fire. Megatron wouldn't have to aim very carefully soon enough.

_Starscream, I have a plan. It will go smoothly if you listen to me and do exactly as I tell you, all right? I will not let him harm you._

The seeker only nodded at the voice in his head, ready for anything as long as it helped him escape.

_Your missiles cannot be shot, but the tips are still set to make the missile explode should they come into contact with a target._

Starscream's optics widened. This was true. This was very true.

He grappled with one of the missiles on his arm, the firing mechanism refusing to release because of Ratchet's handiwork.

_Pull! Rip it off, we have little time!_

The seeker roared in pain as he tore the missile from his arm, base and all, then dove carefully to avoid another one of Megatron's shots.

_Throw it up at Megatron's peds, then transform and fly as fast as you can, this will be your only chance to escape dying here!_

Starscream did as he was told, throwing the missile as hard as he could above him and at his attacker's peds. The blast threw Megatron back and dusted debris into his optics, his pained shouts calming Starscream if only for a moment. The seeker then transformed and flew out as fast as he could, leaving the screaming Megatron behind him.

Or so he thought.

Megatron wiped his optics free of the dirt and glared up after him, transforming as well, "I will not let you escape this!" he roared, giving chase.

Starscream flew as fast as he could, right into the city, as low as he could, performing the fastest turns that he was able, "What do I do, what do I do?!"

_Remain calm, I have a plan. But it will require you to land and lure Megatron to you._

The seeker wailed, "I don't like this plan!" but he flew to a large building anyway, landing outside and going in.

And Megatron was still searching. He knew Starscream was a coward, but wouldn't he feel better not having to live with that? All those sparks had been freed, and yet this tormented soul was still left to linger. Megatron was not ready to live with that.

He spotted him. Those wings were the giveaway, from as high up as he was. Megatron growled to himself and descended, transforming in front of the seeker.

"Done hiding?" he snarled.

Starscream gulped, trembling, "Y-yes… It's clear to me you're not going to stop this quest of yours until I am dead, regardless if I want to or not," he slowly backed up, into the building; the other missile was held firmly against his back, having just been ripped clean from his other arm, "But should you strike me down now, might I ask it be a private event? If I am to die, I would wish only this."

Megatron rolled his shoulders, following him into the building, "Very well, Starscream. Seeing as this will be your last request, I shall honor it," his sword sprung forth from his arm, "And I will also honor what I said before; I shall not allow you to linger."

The seeker nodded, watching Megatron stand in the center of the room, "Yes, yes, how nice of you, ahem, but I have a confession to make," he pulled out the missile, "I'm not ready."

Before Megatron could react or understand what Starscream's plan was, the seeker jumped back and threw the missile forward, transforming and flying upside down out the other opened end of the building. Behind him, he could hear Megatron shouting as the missile tip came into contact with the floor and exploded, showers of glass escalating up the building and the flimsy remains of the support beams on the bottom floor giving way, collapsing and crushing Megatron inside.

Starscream flew straight up, screaming into the sky, both engine and voice, crying happily, "That was the closest he's ever come to actually trying to end me! And I stopped him, you told me how to stop him!"

_I may have told you how to, but you were the one who actually did it._

And the seeker continued to fly, back tracking where he had come from, elated with himself.

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**I wanna be elated, too. Bring me two missiles and a building...**


	11. All Alone

**Do I write too fast? Hmmm...**

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Starscream had found a place to land after his frightening ordeal from earlier. He was pumped, running around and jabbing at the air in a mock fight.

"I've never felt so pleased in all my function," he squealed, still running about, "He was right there, so close, and then wham!" he slammed a fist into his open servo, "I crushed him! … Well, with your help, of course, ahem…"

He was atop a new building, tall and thin, looking down at the dark city below. Starscream had little cover to hide in here, but that was fine with him. He wanted to stare at the stars tonight. It seemed like a nice enough reward.

_I thank you for your acknowledgement, but I only told you what needed to be done. The credit needs to remain with you._

Starscream was beaming proudly. He stared at a bench to the side, imagining the white figure from before sitting there. This was where he was looking as he spoke to the voice.

"But my thoughts were racing too quick to formulate a plan such as that," he spoke honestly, "I would've come up with it, sure, but it would have been one of those 'drat, I could have crushed him under a building instead of flying away' thoughts," he sighed, getting his intakes back, then peered over the side of the building, "I've never felt so afraid in all my function."

_But you were very brave._

Starscream shook his helm, "I felt like such a coward, being so afraid."

_Just because you fear what could happen, doesn't mean you are a coward, especially if you still pressed on. Being afraid isn't cowardice; that's normal._

Starscream hmmed at the thought and shrugged, "I suppose, I mean… What about the ones who never show fear? They still press on and fight. The ones who die that way?"

_If they run into battle, they could be brave. They could also be cowards. Should they allow themselves death to escape the conflict, does that mean they died cowards to avoid bloodshed, or died brave for sacrificing their own lives instead of taking another's? It's all perspective, Starscream. You were brave today. A monster looked you in the optics and said it wished to end your spark. But you took a stand, as afraid as you were, and fought back to protect yourself. You also saved others. Megatron did state he could go after others to ensure they would not follow a path of tyranny._

The seeker nodded, "Yes, he did…"

He looked around where he was right now. Still elated, both emotionally and physically, but the feeling of being lost was slowly starting to creep upon him.

_What's wrong?_

Starscream looked around at where he was, in the dark, alone with the voice, and sighed, "I'm not supposed to be here either…"

_Oh?_

The seeker glared, "Oh, don't think you were ever right. I don't need that rubbed into the wound."

_I am not attacking you, I am not gloating. I am simply noting your recognition towards your situation._

Starscream sighed, sitting heavily on the bench beside where he imagined the mech would be sitting, "I fragged up… Royally."

_You may have. But tell me how you think you've done so._

The seeker picked at his forearms, where his missiles used to sit. The leaking had stopped a couple of joors ago, but they still ached with pain. And now that they were gone, he only had servo-to-servo combat if something else tried to harm him.

"I'm defenseless," he murmured, "And I'm alone," his wings perked, "Well, I still have you, but I don't think I can rely on your help forever."

_Rely on me as you need me. I am here to assist you in any way I can. I chose to be here, because I could feel you reach out for help. I'm helping you now, because you ask of it._

Starscream jolted up, walking, "And then what happens after? When you think I don't need anymore help?"

_You think I will simply leave when I deem you ready?_

Starscream waited for a response, but it sounded like the voice was thinking.

… _I do not think this is how it works._

The seeker threw his arms up, confused and slowly becoming frustrated, "Well, frag it all! Then what is this then? Why won't you tell me who you are? Or, at least, who you were?"

_What if I am you? What if I am who you were intended to be?_

Starscream pointed at the bench, where he imagined the mech to sit, "Don't play games. At least not with me. If I am not to receive a straight answer, then I want none."

_I am sorry. I'm still piecing bits together myself. But I am also trying to get you to think out of the narrow box you have constructed for yourself,_

The seeker snarled, "I like my box, it's kept me safe. After everything I've dealt with, you think it was wrong of me to stay in such parameters?"

_I do. You limited yourself that way. If something didn't work, you would retreat to your box and the limited tools you left in there; begging, brooding, betrayal, servitude. And when none of these tools would work, you would be harmed. Think outside of the box for your problems. Or construct yourself a better mental tool chest. You need to prepare yourself more readily for anything._

Starscream huffed, "I'll care for my well being how I see fit."

_Then what am I doing here?_

The seeker squealed in frustration, grabbing his helm, "I don't know!" he shouted, "I woke up near dead and you were just there! I didn't summon you, you just became!"

_And in your near death experience, you looked to my guidance. Why do so if you didn't know what I was or where I had come from?_

Starscream whimpered, crouching down and still holding his helm firm, "I don't know…"

_You do know. Leave your box and talk to me. Do you think I will harm you?_

"No, I…"

_Do you think I am trying to ruin you, or betray you?_

"I-I don't…"

_I have given you nothing but my servo extended in guidance. Are you afraid I am trying to lead you to your demise?_

"I don't know!"

_Then why confide so much to me, trust me, listen to me, if you yourself do not know what you would like to come out of this? I was summoned by you, Starscream. The timing could not have been more perfect. I was summoned to you, to aide you, to save your spark, from the turmoil you yourself create. Before, I was unable to reach you, but now I am here and you yourself asked me of this, so why, Starscream, did you ask for my help if you do not even know what you want?_

"What are you, Primus himself?! I want to be safe!" Starscream shouted as loud as he could, the confession echoing off the building and settling uncomfortably over the dark city, like a blanket.

Tears were welled up in his optics as he stood up straighter, shivering in the night's gently biting cold, "I feared every day that I would die. And that was when Megatron wasn't around… I was never safe… I was never…"

The voice didn't answer. He waited, just watching until he was addressed.

"And then by that point, I did want to escape sometimes… If I was ruler, if I was an emperor, a lord, anything worthy, even a king, then my subjects would have to protect me," Starscream trembled; he almost fell into the bench, collapsing into it, "But I saw how hard it was to get to being that rank without killing competitors. And how quickly others could turn on you in an instant if you got in their way of being a leader…"

The seeker sighed, taking an intake in deeply, wiping the tears away, "But that option is really nothing anymore. There's no one left to rule over. Most of our race is either dead or…" he shook his helm, "I can't even guess… But the only other option I have, that… that I know I truly need is…" he looked at where he hoped the glowing white mech was still sitting.

_You think you need to be with the Autobots. They're the only ones left here who would consider taking you in, helping you, regardless of past mistakes. And now that you've seen the dangers that lurk out here, you think you need to go back._

Starscream held his intake, trembling more, then said it as quickly as he could, "Yes."

His tremors stopped. It was like he had control over himself again. He gasped softly and shook his helm, hiding his faceplate in his servos.

"But what does that matter anymore?" he whimpered, "I betrayed them. In all their risk taking, I should have stayed… I'm fragged now. It was bad before, but now I'm done…"

_You can pity yourself, Starscream, or you can go back to them. Do it in whatever fashion you see fit, but do not lie to them. They will not accept you immediately. But remember what we discussed earlier. They too have pains that are making them suffer. Aboard the Nemesis, there is much sorrow. See your burdens within them, and you will not only save them from their pain, but your own._

Starscream sniffed, curling up tightly on the bench as a dense cloud cover began to form, "Are you really Primus?" he whimpered.

_I will be who you want me to be, Starscream. But know that no matter what you wish to call me, I will never leave you._

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**But if he doesn't pity, then where's the party?** **If you like this, I'd like to hear it.**


	12. In A Crowd

**Rainy days are my favorite.**

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Ratchet stared out a window on the Nemesis, noting with distaste the darkened sky that morning.

"Bah," he huffed, removing himself from the view, "It's going to rain buckets again. All we needed was this acid rain."

Knockout was sitting mockingly on Megatron's old throne, peds up as he picked at his claws and pouted, "I was going to take the day off. Drive around, see if Bee and Smokescreen wanted to race. That would've been nice."

Ratchet frowned, "I think, more importantly, Arcee won't be able to scout for new supplies and Bulkhead won't be building today."

The red mech sat up straighter, "Oh, yes, that's not exactly good either."

Arcee stepped into the room, greeting both of them, "Morning doctors. Still bad weather?"

"It's not what we could have hoped for," the older medic said sourly, "And what's worse is how much we were starting to get done."

The femme shook her helm, "We'll do what we can inside then. There's no point in fighting the weather. Even humans know that."

Knockout finally stood, "Sure, but at least when their weather got bad, you could look to driving in it… most of the time," he latched onto a window, peering outside in sadness, "I miss Earth weather… Hm?"

Arcee shifted her weight, "We didn't say anything."

"Shh," he hushed her, "I think…" he gasped loudly, "By the Allspark, how the frag-?!"

Knockout pointed outside in shock, a small, gray figure appearing out from the distance. Where the clouds had formed the night prior.

"There's someone out there!"

Ratchet came up behind him, looking as well, "Your optics must be malfunctioning, no one is stupid enough to get caught out in an acid rainstorm-" he stopped short when he, too, saw the figure; the medic then glared, "Except maybe him."

Arcee stood beside the two, frowning, "What should we do?"

Ratchet sighed, "I'll inform Ultra Magnus," he turned from the window, walking out of the room, "He'll be lucky if we meet him half way."

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Starscream had had a very rough night. The rain began pouring in buckets and the structure he'd chosen to recharge in had little in the ways of shelter. What little paint he had was stripped and gone. His whole chassis felt like ice to his protoform underneath. The sun was rising to the side of him… but cloud cover would take that away soon enough. He had to warm up.

The chattering of his dentals was what really bothered him. To be that cold and still going, not even he knew how he was doing it.

_I'm still here, Starscream. If they haven't seen you yet, they will know soon._

Out of the side of the Nemesis, a whole group of vehicles started speeding towards him.

Starscream shivered, still walking, "I think you spoke too soon…"

The seeker wanted to stop moving but it appeared to him that it was the only thing keeping him online at the moment. If he were to stop… He shook his helm.

_Do not think about it, just keep moving. Should they stop you, ask to go inside. You need to get warmed up._

Starscream pressed onwards and soon the Autobots were meeting him, Ultra Magnus at the front.

"Morning soldier," he said sharply, "Come back for something?"

Knockout pursed, "I think he missed us."

The seeker stopped walking now, staring them down. What was he supposed to say? And how was he supposed to say it?

_Remain calm. Ask them to go inside. Do not demand it, ask of it._

Starscream shivered again, "May I ask that we take this conversation inside?"

Ultra Magnus looked at him sternly, "I think we'd feel more comfortable talking outside, Starscream. Your sudden disappearance a couple cycles ago, and then reappearance now has us on edge."

Starscream nodded; his temperature was getting low, "I understand."

_Starscream, remain calm. Just keep that thought in your processor. You're still standing, you'll be fine._

"Why did you come back?" Ultra Magnus asked, the rest of the bots behind him wondering something similar.

_No lies. They can either accept the truth or ignore it. The point is that it is the truth._

"I did leave of my own accord," the seeker said softly, "I felt as though my being here was not serving the best to me. I have returned because…" he faltered; why did these words have to be so hard to say?

_You said 'yes' last night. You already admitted it to yourself. You can do it, admit it to them._

"I… was… wrong," he said slowly.

Arcee and Knockout both held the same expression of surprise, optic ridges high on their helms and their optics themselves wide.

Ratchet growled, speaking up, "Oh? And what made you suddenly realize this little fact?"

_Starscream? Starscream can you hear me? Your temperature's too low, you need to hang on._

But the world around him was already spinning. His helm ached and felt heavy on one side.

He didn't even know if he was getting the words out that he needed, "Oh, a few things…" the seeker felt his chassis begin to sag, "one was Megatron…"

Starscream fell forward, his processor out to the world. Knockout squealed and hid behind Ratchet, peeking out, while the others didn't really seem to know what to do.

Ultra Magnus moved to the side to allow Ratchet through, "What's happened, doctor?"

The older medic inspected the seeker carefully, shaking his helm, "He was definitely caught out in the rains last night. But that's not what's bothering me so much," he pointed, "I deactivated his weapons, including the launching of his missiles."

"Why would that be something to worry about?" Bumblebee asked, "Maybe he removed them himself."

Ratchet nodded, standing, "It looks like he did. Base and all," he turned to the rest of the group, "So what made him tear the missiles right off his arms?"

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The world was warm again. Starscream snuggled in whatever it was he was wrapped in. He couldn't move much, but last he remembered, he'd been talking to the Autobots, so this little tidbit didn't surprise him.

But the flick on his helm did, "Look at this deterioration! I'll have to put on a new base layer, and then I have to find the wax," a gasp, "For Primus sake, where did Bee leave my buffer?!"

"Knockout," Starscream winced, "Please. Quietly…"

The red mech perked up, snickering, "Ooo, my apologies, I didn't realize you were awake."

Starscream sighed, "I wasn't. I am now."

Knockout pursed, smirking, "So, are you going to ask me?"

_You're awake. I'm happy to see so._

"About…?" the seeker nodded, "Ah, yes… So, what is the verdict? How long will they forget me in the brig?"

The red medic purred, messing with his tools when Starscream finally onlined his optics, "They've been talking about throwing you out after you wake up. But you're awake now and I still have to get at least a little color back on you before you're gone."

_Are you surprised by this?_

Starscream snorted, snuggling into the thermal blanket draped around him and answering the voice, not Knockout, "Honestly, I'm not surprised at all."

"Good," Knockout smiled, "Then let's see how much I can get done before you're thrown to the wolves."

The door to the med bay opened, Ultra Magnus and Ratchet coming through.

"A paint job will have to wait," Ratchet grumbled, "We need to talk to Starscream briefly before we finalize our decision."

Magnus nodded to Knockout for him to leave and he did so, a slight scowl on his face. Once he was gone attention turned back to the seeker.

"Soldier, before your injuries took hold of you, you mentioned an encounter with Megatron," Ultra Magnus stated, "A few of us thought you were having a memory lapse due to the slowing of your processor. Myself and Ratchet, however, would like the matter cleared up now that you've seemed to regain consciousness."

_Give them fact. You know what happened. They don't need details._

Starscream grumbled, "Megatron seems to think… this is a little difficult, I'm still trying to understand why he thinks this is sane…"

Ratchet pulled up a chair, sitting comfortably, "Go ahead, we've got the time."

The seeker nodded, "Well, Megatron tried to kill me."

"Is this anything new?" Ultra Magnus huffed.

"It is, sir," Ratchet said quietly, "Before Optimus gave his life to the Allspark, Megatron denounced wanting to rule Cybertron. He said he couldn't rule with oppression and that was the last we saw of him."

Starscream waited for both mechs to cast their gaze on him before he explained, "He said he was doing me a favor. That I represented his tyranny and oppression at its worst and he was going to… free me from my suffering and end my pains," the seeker looked away, "Then I had to escape him. And the last I saw of him was when the building I destroyed collapsed on top of him," he scoffed, "But I wouldn't trust that slagger to know how to die. What is this, the third time he's been killed? He must have another backup somewhere, if not Unicron, then sheer dumb luck…"

Ratchet looked surprised, "Well, I suppose that explains the damage to your arms."

Starscream pouted, "The release mechanism was disabled, thank you very much. I was just lucky you decided not the render the missiles useless."

"You wouldn't have needed them if you had stayed put," Ratchet growled back.

Magnus put a servo on his shoulder, "Easy, doctor…" he looked back at Starscream, "For now, we will be keeping you in the brig until we can decide something more suitable. You disappointed me, Starscream. We are not going to be as trusting as we were before."

Starscream nodded, "You have every right to be," he hmmed, "Doctor, if I may ask one thing of you?"

Ratchet grumbled a bit, so the seeker continued, "I was not the only one threatened by Megatron. If you would care at all, please tell Knockout that Megatron mentioned him as well."

_Do you think you have said what you needed to?_

For now, he did. He didn't expect more than the brig. He would be happy with that for now.

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**Number twelve. Twelve is good.**


	13. Hear It

**Party on the Nemesis. BYOE. Door's open. No funny business.**

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Well, this was becoming a bother, wasn't it?

Starscream sighed for the hundredth time, or so it felt, and stared at the unlocked brig door, "Again? What is this thing's malfunction?"

The seeker had been taken down to the brig soon after his conversation with Ultra Magnus and Ratchet. They wasted no time telling him the ground rules: stay in the room. And that wouldn't be so hard to do if the brig door didn't keep opening. The first joor in, it had unlocked at least twice. And then after that, it had been every couple of joors.

"I've seen you open nearly half a dozen times now," Starscream hissed, pointing at the door, "I am not going to betray their confidence!"

He went to the door and went out, locking it manually from the other side. Before it could close, he jumped back in the brig. This, too, he felt as though he'd done for the hundredth time.

He smirked, fists on his hips, "There, much better," he mused, getting himself comfortable again in the dimly lit room.

But he had hardly gotten settled when the door unlocked again. This time it opened. This time, the glow of a bridge trickled in from the hallway.

Starscream's wings drooped, "Well, that's new…"

_This is strange… What do you make of it?_

The seeker stood, staring from a distance, "It could be a trap. One of the Autobots trying to see if I'll go against their… very limited rules. It could also be that someone wants me to get out of here…"

_The door keeps unlocking, no matter how many times you seal it again. This time, whoever keeps opening the door has insisted you step out, and left you a means of going somewhere else._

"Could it be a malfunction?" Starscream mused.

_If it is, then it is a dangerous one. What if the ground bridge leads something here? Insecticon, Predacon-_

"Or even Megatron," the seeker gasped silently; he frowned, "I have to break their one rule. I have to find one of them and tell them about this… Right?"

_If you can prevent further catastrophe, yes. Even if it is at the expense of yourself. Sometimes a chance, a risk, and a sacrifice on your part shows the greatest intentions. Go find an Autobot and tell them their base has been compromised. Even if they make the repairs and nothing happens, you still helped them._

"Then help them, I suppose I shall," Starscream sighed, "Here I go… Breaking their one rule."

He walked up to the open door and peeked out. The bridge was very near the doorway, but he could snake around it.

"Autobots first," he mused, "They can explore this later if they so desire," and he started down the hall, looking around carefully.

ssssssssss

Ratchet sipped from his cube gingerly. He and Knockout were in the break room, just enjoying each other's company. Despite having previously been a Decepticon, the red mech wasn't exactly as Ratchet had pictured; he was actually quite well mannered, if at times a bit vain.

Bumblebee poked his helm in, smiling, "Hey docs, mind if I join the two of you?"

"Not at all," Knockout purred, "We were just ending one of the greatest staring contests known to Cybertron. And Ratchet was even looking me in the optics."

Ratchet scoffed, almost playfully, "Your finish is nice, Knockout, but I am immune to it. Those days of bright paint jobs and childish behavior are over for me."

"Long over," the red medic emphasized, "But don't worry, we'll find you somewhere to settle down. War's over and such, a mech can actually plan for a thing like that, can't they?"

Bumblebee rolled his optics, sitting with them at their table, "Starting a family? Ugh, Ratchet, don't get tied down just yet, your current family still needs you!"

Both medics laughed.

Ratchet sighed, "Yes, that will be something to look forward to much later down the road with the right femme. Right now, we're a bit busy trying rebuild an entire planet, Bumblebee."

"It's really happening, too," the yellow mech beamed, but his face fell when he looked back up into the doorway.

Ratchet frowned at the expression and too looked in the doorway, growling as he suddenly stood, "Starscream-!"

The seeker put his servos up in defense, "Look, before you start yelling at me, I only left the room to tell you someone keeps unlocking the door."

The medic looked confused, "What are you talking about? No one was supposed to go down and check on you until tonight."

Starscream pointed out down the hall, "It happened quite a few times, the door unlocking, and each time I would go out and lock it again. But this time, the door opened on its own accord and a bridge was set up just outside."

All three mechs looked somewhat surprised, so Starscream continued, "You've either got a breach or a very bad malfunction."

Ratchet grumbled, going to the seeker's side, "Once or twice I've noticed doors locking or opening but it didn't seem to mean much. This ship did crash land, there are bound to be some electrical issues. We just haven't addressed them yet."

Bumblebee stood, going over to Ratchet, "Is this a problem?"

Starscream held out his wrists, "Take me to another room to use as a brig, I only came out here to ask that you have the matter fixed. With Megatron running around, it doesn't seem safe to have open bridges all over the place."

The older medic sighed, putting the seeker's arms down, "We don't have to put cuffs on you. Bumblebee, escort Starscream to the storeroom by the med bay. It's been pretty much cleared out."

Knockout waved at Starscream as the yellow mech led the seeker away from the break room and down the hall.

Bumblebee walked just behind the gray mech, keeping a watchful optic, "So, what made you want to tell us about this little problem, huh?"

"Well," Starscream grumbled, "I need to start again… again. If I'm in trouble for leaving the brig to inform you of the malfunction, then so be it."

The yellow mech hmmed lightly, still walking along. Soon enough, they were outside the med bay storeroom.

"Just as well they put me here," the seeker smirked a little, "Easier to keep an optic on me."

Bumblebee opened the door and went in, inspecting it carefully, "Well, at least Knockout and Ratchet can. I'll be checking, too," he gestured Starscream in when he finished inspecting, "I don't know what's going on in your processor, Starscream. But if you really want to stay here, you're going to have to abide by the rules."

The seeker walked in, "One rule. And I did. Is it my fault the Nemesis is being so…"

"Faulty? No I guess we can't blame you for that," Bumblebee mused, "But stay here this time," he moved to go out the door, looking back at him, "If you really do want to change, let us handle the problems so you can focus on looking honest-"

"Don't move!"

Starscream lashed out, grabbing Bumblebee's arm and pulling him back. The yellow mech glared and hit him, wrenching his arm free, but the seeker just pointed, nursing his sore chin.

"Look!"

Bumblebee turned back towards the doorway, a bright and glowing bridge having just opened.

Starscream stood beside him, staring, "Faulty isn't the word," he winced.

The yellow mech stared, sighing, "What's going on in this ship?"

ssssssssss

_How is your chin?_

"Fine," Starscream sighed to the quiet air; the bridge had been deactivated and Bumblebee had left him there quite a while ago, "I don't blame him. I would have done the same thing."

_But you did stop him from going through. _

Starscream smiled, "Yes, that did happen…" his smiled disappeared as he thought quietly to himself, tapping a claw on his knee.

_Something bothers you about all this. What is it?_

The seeker took an intake quickly, "It's just… None of the Autobots took credit for the bridge that found and saved me. Bridges have been popping up all over this ship, but they're always in proximity to me," he rubbed his audial, "May I ask you a question?"

_Of course, always._

"Have you been leaving static in my COMM unit?"

_I have not. I only communicate with you as I have, in your helm._

"Then who keeps trying to COMM me? Who's opening these bridges?"

_I am not entirely certain. _

Starscream's wings fell. Doors unlocking and opening could easily be the work of a vengeful spark. But his COMM buzzing with static? Bridges opening for him?

"Someone wants my attention."

_It seems they have it._

The seeker's wings trembled as he thought further, his optics widening in horror, "By Primus… what did the Autobots do with Soundwave?"

ssssssssss

**Finally. Party's starting. No funny business.**


	14. Acknowledge It

**Lunch anyone?**

ssssssssss

Starscream glared, optics bright red, "Where. Is he?"

Ratchet grumbled; Starscream had escaped his room again. It had been unlocked, bridge outside waiting, but the seeker had run to see Ratchet instead of staying in the storeroom as asked.

"I'll not ask again," Starscream snarled, the medic rolling his optics, "What did the lot of you do with Soundwave?"

Ratchet sighed, "Starscream, we didn't harm him," he got up from his workstation, moving to a computer console so he could explain, "Look, here," he brought up a diagram of a bridge, "I'll explain this once and then I'll expect you to go back into that room."

The seeker was about to retort, but he could already here the voice telling him to wait. And the voice hadn't even said anything yet.

"Watch this, Starscream, it's actually quite miraculous," the medic brought up a second bridge, setting the two side-by-side, "Back on Earth, after Megatron's recovery…" he grumbled, remembering what the experience had done to Bumblebee; he coughed, "Anyway, you had gotten hold of some dark energon?"

Starscream crossed his arms, "Yes, I do remember quite well."

Ratchet typed in a few commands, the bridges beginning to feed off each other, "We had to bridge the children out, and you yourself had called for an escape. When the portals could take no more, and the proximity had proven too close, their energies created a backlash which teleported the children, the Terrorcon Skyquake, and your arm, from what I remember."

The seeker frowned. So that's where it had gone off to…

The medic continued, "The children called it the Shadow Zone. They could see us, hear us, but they couldn't communicate with us or touch us. We got lucky," he sighed, "Miko had left her mobile device in our base and Jack had sense enough to call it. His call did go through, but we couldn't hear them. Written text seemed to do the trick. They let us know what was going on and we recalibrated our bridge system to get them out."

"Yes, I do remember this," Starscream huffed, "They ran out, as did Skyquake's Terrorcon arm. It was not a pleasant experience…"

Ratchet frowned at him, but continued, "When we stormed the Nemesis, we were unable to take the command deck. Bulkhead, Ultra Magnus and Wheeljack were bridged out by Soundwave and we couldn't get a hold of it. Miko, Jack and Rafael took matters into their own hands and when Soundwave tried to bridge them out, they opened their own bridge and sent him to the Shadow Zone."

_He must till be there._

"Cast into the shadows to rust…" Starscream hissed.

Ratchet's optics flickered, "Sorry?"

_Starscream, does this trouble you?_

It did, it honestly troubled him quite a bit. Soundwave was wasting away without escape. Starved for energon while others walked passed him, oblivious, unable to see. Starscream had suffered something similar once. But he was not trapped in this Shadow Zone; he was able to overcome it.

_He is hurt and suffering as you once did. What are you going to do?_

Starscream glared hard in thought, then nodded, "I'm liberating Soundwave from his prison."

Ratchet scoffed, "What?! On whose orders?"

"My own," the seeker snarled back, "Who are we to condemn him like this?" he turned his back to the medic, stomping out of the med bay, "Assemble your team together, doctor. I will state my case before things get rash…"

ssssssssss

"I say we just beat Starscream back into his room," Bulkhead growled, slamming his fists together.

"I'll readily see you try," the seeker retorted, unfazed.

All of the ship's occupants were on the command deck, watching Starscream as he paced about the room.

Ratchet stared angrily, pointing at him, "You have no right to do this, Starscream! We don't even know if this is Soundwave-"

"Soundwave knew every nook and cranny in this ship," Starscream hissed, wings raised high, "Every command this ship could perform was at his discretion. Doors locking and unlocking, bridges opening," he pointed to his audial, "and I've been getting static from someone trying to COMM me. You said so yourself, doctor. The children tried calling you for help, but you were unable to hear them."

Arcee frowned, "So what, we're supposed to let Soundwave back into this plane? How do we know he won't try and attempt to regain control of the ship? Or bring about a new age of Decepticons?"

"Arcee's right," Wheeljack chimed in, "Soundwave was, is, crazy loyal to Megatron."

"And Megatron has lost all sense of reality," Starscream snarled, "Why should we leave Soundwave to die this way if we could save him?"

"Uh, because it's safer for us?" Bulkhead huffed, "That silent mech has messed our plans up too many times."

"And yet, if Soundwave could free himself, he would have done so," the seeker huffed back; he was getting frustrated quickly, "He bridged me here. After the Predacons had ripped me to pieces. I'm sure that was Soundwave," no one said anything, so he snorted, "Well, none of you take credit, who the frag else would it be?"

"But why you?" Arcee crossed her arms, "You're not exactly Soundwave's best friend."

Starscream didn't back down, he wasn't ready to, "No, I'm not, but I'm his last resort. Why would he reach out to any of you? The ones who put him there," he settled his gaze on the red medic, "And then there's Knockout."

Knockout looked around in surprise, "What, me? I didn't do that to him!"

"No, you didn't, but why would he contact you? Opening and closing doors, bridges popping up all over this ship, as a medic, you'd only think something was wrong with the ship," Starscream smirked, "I am bothered by it, immensely. You know where all those bridges keep leading? Have any of you tested one out?"

Ratchet shook his head, "Of course not, we don't know where they lead-"

"Well let me take a wild guess and say they lead here, right in this room!"

Starscream saw the look on the medic's face change; he was either close or spot on, "Every time you would come here to shut off a bridge from somewhere else on this ship, there would be one here, wouldn't there?"

Ratchet grumbled, "Coincidence, they could have been two separate bridges-"

"I know I'm one for lying, doctor, but do not play that game with me," Starscream glared, "I am a master of it, if you want to become a good liar, you must hide your tells," he looked about the room, angry now, "If none of you will help me save Soundwave, then I shall attempt to do so myself."

_You can try, but to succeed, you will need them._

But none of them were listening; none of them wanted that mech here.

_They didn't want you here either. What would you say to make it easier on them to accept?_

Starscream knew. He just didn't want to have to bring it up.

"Forget this," Arcee scoffed, "I'm not going to listen to this anymore."

She turned, as did most of them, to leave, but stopped when Starscream shouted out, "What would your Prime say to this?!"

The femme whipped around, optics wide with anger and hurt. But the seeker didn't falter. This was the time to play this card. Delicately.

"What did you say?" she growled.

Everyone else looked just as angry.

But Starscream just frowned, "You talk about building this world back from ruin," he began, "but you are saving the select few for it, myself not included. I am trying and working very hard to prove myself capable of living on this planet with the likes of you. It starts with the smaller jobs, doing them right and expecting nothing, and builds with the larger ones, finding caches and saving ones life," he watched Bulkhead's optics turn away, "and I'm trying to save another's now! So what if it's Soundwave?! Would the general consensus change if it were Knockout? What about Shockwave? Myself?"

None of the Autobots moved. Starscream was speaking harsh truths, most of which they didn't want to hear.

"Is it all in fear that you make this decision? Or are all of you only thinking about what Soundwave could do, would do, if he were free?" the seeker went on, "I'm learning that assumptions only bring upon more pain and confusion. If you don't hear it straight from him what he would do, then you should assume nothing."

Everyone remained quiet.

Ultra Magnus stepped forward, "Starscream, I am beginning to understand why you are pressing so hard to save Soundwave from the Shadow Zone, but it is a dangerous task and we're not even sure if Soundwave is still alive."

"Soundwave," Starscream shouted out, "open a bridge from here to the outside."

After a few moments, the screens lit to life and a bridge opened in the center of the room. Knockout glanced out the side of the Nemesis, seeing a bridge just next to the ship open up. The seeker crossed his arms.

"If we leave Soundwave where he is, you'll also be missing the greatest opportunity to get refugees back home," Starscream hissed, "He's the best communications officer and computer expert Cybertron has ever known."

Ratchet sighed heavily, looking to Ultra Magnus, "We're taking a chance with Starscream aren't we? It's not like taking the same chance with Soundwave will make any difference."

Magnus nodded to him, then looked at Starscream, "We will begin procedures immediately then. You will have to be a liaison for Soundwave to help him better adjust. If he wishes to stay on to help us rebuild, we can accept that. But any actions taken against us will not bode well for him."

"Considering we're in the room he's been zoned in, I think he can hear you," the seeker hmmed, "But don't worry, I'm sure I'll need to help him regardless. Considering actions as of late…"

"Then I'll get to work calibrating the ground bridge systems immediately," Ratchet sighed, "Knockout, I'll need your help…"

When the room cleared, Starscream finally let out the intake he'd been holding for so long. That had been harder than he anticipated, though he knew it would be difficult. But he had done it. They were going to help.

_How does that make you feel?_

Starscream stared down at his servos, clenching and unclenching them. It was as though he was saving himself. He did see a part of his being within Soundwave, lost, ignored, and on the verge of death. But he was going to save him.

"We're coming, Soundwave," Starscream said to the empty room, "I'll make sure you get back on this plane, regardless of the state you're in…"

The computer consoles in the room flickered off and Starscream stared sadly, "I just hope we're not too late…"

ssssssssss

**No lunch for Soundwave.**


	15. Holding Tight

**Mmm. Laserbeak.**

ssssssssss

Starscream tapped a claw impatiently, watching as Ratchet worked diligently to get the Nemesis to recognize the new coding he was implementing, "Does this need to be going so slowly? Soundwave could be dead by now!"

"Up, bup, bup, don't rush me," Ratchet huffed, "or I'll make you wish you had been sent to the Shadow Zone," he went on typing.

The seeker groaned in impatience and stood, pacing. Knockout sat up and stared at Starscream from where he was laying on a med berth, frowning.

"Stop being so… you, Screamer. You're making me tired," he pouted.

Starscream's wings perked, "Oh, I'm sorry, are you starving to death?"

The red mech rolled his optics, lying back down, "I'm being chastised to death…"

The seeker scowled, but didn't say anything.

Ratchet paused in his work to look at him, worry on his face, "Look, I know what it means to get to him as quickly as possible. And you can deny this as much as you like, but I know you're concerned for him," Starscream glanced at him, shrugging, "Rest assured I'm working as fast as I can…" he sighed, typing again, "and if I keep at this pace, we'll have him back with us within a few joors at the most…"

The seeker nodded, "That would be nice…"

_Why not go up to the command deck and talk to Soundwave? It will make you feel better and I am very sure that Soundwave would appreciate the company._

Starscream nodded again, this time to himself as he grumbled softly, "That would be pleasant."

"Come again," Knockout perked.

"Nothing," the gray mech responded quickly, coughing, "I'm, uh, just going to go upstairs and stay with Soundwave until you're ready. I can't rush you and I can't assist you, so I'll just go to the command deck and wait there."

Ratchet hmmed as he worked, "Suit yourself. I'll send Knockout up when we're ready to open the bridge."

Starscream walked out of the room, just as Knockout scoffed, "Sure, I'll go- wait, why do I have to go?"

ssssssssss

"Hello? Soundwave? I know you can't answer back, but I just wanted to keep you company while we wait for Ratchet to finish procedures…"

Starscream paced around the command deck, wishing he had some clue as to where Soundwave was so he could at least address him properly. The seeker looked about the room, settling for sitting against a wall and looking out into the vastness of the room.

"I'll sit here, if you don't mind," he smiled lightly, "I wanted to talk about a lot of things, Soundwave. I hope that when we get you out of this mess, you'll be willing to talk to me about your experience…"

Starscream looked around. The responding silence was very unsettling. He pulled his legs closer. This is what Soundwave must have felt like. Almost two complete solar cycles without anyone to talk to, with no one to have acknowledgement from, no energon.

The seeker's face fell, then he shook his helm, "You know, Soundwave, I know the first thing I'm going to want to do when you get out if there is have a large cube of energon," he chuckled, "I know you won't say much, or anything, but it would be nice. The past few cycles have been… trying."

_Do you feel you should warn him now?_

Starscream nodded, "I should… Soundwave?" he called out, "I know you already probably know, but Megatron is alive, by Unicron's intervention. Prime sacrificed himself to save him, but Megatron is not sane… He tried to kill me."

He glared out into the room, "Oh, I know you've already heard that one before, but this was unprovoked! He said he was doing it to save me from my tormented life! He threatened Knockout, Shockwave, and you even. It seems Unicron left scarring in his processor or something…"

The seeker grumbled, "I should think that ending Megatron would be much more merciful to him…"

His wings perked and he looked around, "Ah, I should also mention I put a building on top of him! Blew up the base and the whole thing just came crashing down like a ton of metal and glass… Which it was."

Starscream smiled, but the more he spoke, the harder it was becoming. He preferred to have Soundwave's emotionless glass screen staring back at him than this expanse of space as his audience. It made it feel like he was talking to a ghost… to a dead chassis.

_Until he is returned to this plane of existence, he is alive. He is not dead to any of you yet._

The seeker knew this, not to assume, but it still hurt to think that he had starved, no was starving, somewhere in this room, just withering away…

"You know," Starscream said softly, lying his helm back, "I know the pain you're feeling… When Airachnid abandoned me and left me to the Autobots all that time ago… once I escaped, I suffered Earth's weather, unforgiving terrain, and near death to starvation… And I survived it."

His clenched servo shook as he spoke, but he continued, "I'm not going to let you die the way I almost did. You're stronger than that. We're going to get you out of this."

A noise caught Starscream's attention and he sat up. In the doorway, Knockout was panting.

"B-by Primus," he gasped, getting his intakes back, "I'll get Ratchet for this."

Starscream pulled himself up, "Well?"

The red mech waved him off, huffing, "Ratchet had a revelation… contacted the kids and got Raf to help… Still had data from the original incident…" he stood up, stretching, "We're… we're ready when you are, we just have to wait for Ratchet…" he grumbled, "And now I have to get the rest of the gang together. Ratchet said the transition would be easier then…" he took one last resting intake, then ran down the hall, complaining as he went.

Starscream smiled into the open air, "Told you, Soundwave. I'm not letting you get away from this hard work yet…"

ssssssssss

Ratchet sighed, looking at everyone. Starscream stood at the front of the group, standing tall, servos behind his back. The others all looked ready for a fight, blasters out and expressions grim.

"Well… all right then," the old medic sighed, "I guess we're all here. And prepared."

Starscream rolled his optics. He was sure the Autobots were overreacting, but he wasn't about to point it out.

They were all huddled into one side of the command deck. Ratchet had asked that much; just the space and quiet.

"And now that we are ready, doctor?" Starscream asked tapping a ped on the floor.

Ratchet frowned, "No need to get testy," he began typing into the computer, "I'm going to activate the bridge in the next ten kliks."

Starscream smiled. This would definitely boost his mood. He was putting that pain from the past behind him in doing this.

"Eight kliks," Ratchet informed, still typing.

_Starscream, don't set your hopes so high. He's been alone and starved for almost two solar cycles. He will not be in the best of health. Be prepared for that._

"Four kliks."

The ground bridge systems began to whir to life, a portal starting to rip itself a spot in the center of the room.

"Two kliks."

The group watched as the bridge opened. And remained open. With no one coming through.

Ratchet checked his readings, "This is the right frequency, he should be out by now. And I don't have time to keep this bridge open all day, it will shut down in the next couple breems."

_Something is wrong._

Starscream frowned, then glared, "No, he's not."

The seeker ran at the portal and jumped through before anyone could grab at him or process what he may have been thinking.

"Starscream!" Arcee shouted after him, but he was already gone.

Bulkhead watched in confusion, "What do we do?"

"We wait," Ultra Magnus rumbled, "as long as the portal is open, this will still constitute as a rescue mission. Knockout, Ratchet, you may want to stay on standby."

Both medics nodded, already prepared for the worst.

_Stop looking. It's what's horrifying you the most. You need to focus. Offline your optics if you have to, but stop looking. Get out as fast as you can. Time is not on your side on this plane or the next. This is not your end, neither is it his, but you need to stop looking._

The bridge began to fizzle and quiver and Ratchet growled, typing commands in to try and stabilize it, "Blast it all, not yet!"

"No," Bumblebee pointed, "Look!"

As the portal still began to continue its fit, Starscream's slumped form fell through and to the floor on his knees, a blue, mangled mech held tightly in his arms.

"Shut it down, shut it down!" Ultra Magnus ordered, himself, Arcee and Smokescreen going to the seeker's side.

As Ratchet shut down the bridge, Knockout and Bumblebee brought over a stretcher and a med kit. Starscream shook as his wide optics looked down at the chassis in his grasp.

Ratchet ran over and gently pulled the seeker's grip on Soundwave loose, "Let go, let go, I need to check…" he felt for a reading and gasped, "He is alive! Knockout, we need to move now!"

Wheeljack and Bulkhead nearly found themselves run over as the two doctors moved the blue mech to the stretcher and ran it out the door, already performing an energon drip as they spirited him away.

And Starscream still had yet to move.

Arcee cautiously set a servo on the seeker's back, "Starscream? Starscream, what happened?"

He wasn't even sure what had happened. From what he had seen… from what he was trying to erase from his mind, it looked like…

"He… he gave up," he whispered, "He thought was going to die in-"

Starscream suddenly lurched up and pushed the crowd out of the way, running out of the room and down the hall to the closest trash chute to purge in.

ssssssssss

_He's alive though. Doesn't that make you feel better than this?_

Starscream was resting in his old berthroom. But he was lying on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. He didn't feel comfortable lying in his berth.

"Ratchet…" the seeker swallowed, intaking shakily, "He said that lack of energon made his systems fluctuate and make him see things that weren't there… He'll live. The damage wasn't extensive, he doesn't have claws like mine. But when he's been repaired…" he paused, "… When he wakes up, he'll have to live knowing he did that to himself."

_Starscream, I cannot see into the future, but I know that what he did was out of his control and he will be fine. Just like you will be. When he wakes up, just be there. Talk to him. Let him know that the both of you need to change, to grow. All of you should do this. Recovery starts with the one who needs it and becomes possible because of the support of others._

The seeker rolled onto his side and offlined his optics. He would see what the doctors said tomorrow…

ssssssssss

**Nevermind. I'm more in the mood for Ratbat anyway...**


	16. Letting Go

**I will have a hotdog. Soundwave will take seven hundred and sixty-two gallons of your finest energon. No foolies.**

ssssssssss

"He damaged most of the front internal wiring of his chassis, but it looks like it took some time to get there. His digits were worked down to the protoform underneath, most likely from the wounds he self-inflicted. The crack to his screen looked like an accident, probably from a fall," Ratchet sighed, "But all the major repairs have been completed and his energon levels are where they need to be. He shouldn't move for the next few cycles, to ensure his systems register the repairs properly, but all-in-all, the prognosis looks very good."

Everyone was meeting just outside the med bay. Knockout was still inside, touching up Soundwave's paint to help cover the still fresh weld marks.

"And Laserbeak?" Starscream inquired.

The old medic nodded, "Laserbeak is fine as well. It seems Soundwave was feeding at least one energon line to the pair of them to keep them going. We'll need to keep the both of them together for a while to make sure their recovery isn't held back, but that shouldn't be too difficult."

"No," Ultra Magnus hmmed, "it shouldn't be. Thank you, doctor."

"You should be thanking me as well," Knockout smirked as he came through the med bay door, wiping his servos with a rag, "That chassis is now as beautiful as the cycle I painted it last. Should help him out a bit, mentally and all."

Starscream said nothing as he slid passed Ratchet and Knockout, going in to look at Soundwave as he recharged peacefully.

Magnus knelt down to Ratchet, saying quietly, "Give Starscream an evaluation just to see how he's handling this. He did not do well once you took Soundwave away for repairs."

"I'll see what I can do," the old mech sighed, "but I doubt he will be forthcoming. Starscream seems like the kind of mech to prefer bottling it up, unless a gun is pointed at his helm of course…"

Magnus nodded, "All I ask is that you try…" the large mech turned to the rest of the group, "Now that we know Soundwave is functioning, I do believe our higher duties take priority. If the weather effects your tasks for the cycle, you are welcome to assist others with theirs."

And with that, the group dismissed themselves.

Ratchet and Knockout watched them go their separate ways, all except for Smokescreen and Bumblebee.

The old mech stared them down, "Ultra Magnus said 'if weather effects your tasks'. Both of you can handle communications duty just fine, last I gathered."

"Well, true," Smokescreen said sheepishly, "But we kinda wanted to check on Screamer… Starscream, just wanted… You know what I mean."

Knockout smirked, "We know what you mean, but I think myself and Ratchet are a little confused as to why the pair of you would want to talk to him."

"He's going through something pretty rough right now," Bumblebee shrugged, "Optimus would appreciate it if we at least said a few words. He might not want to talk to us, but having someone else there doesn't hurt."

Smokescreen nodded, "Exactly what Bee said."

Ratchet shook his helm, arms crossed, "Right now, I shouldn't even be letting Starscream in there to see Soundwave. The three of you in there, and myself and Knockout, is not the kind of recovering environment Soundwave needs."

Knockout peeked into the med bay, pausing to smirk as he tugged on Ratchet's arm, "Well, maybe it is," he pointed in, "Look."

The old medic looked in to see what his comrade had seen. And there was Starscream, talking to Soundwave. The blue mech had set a servo neatly over his repaired and repainted chassis, the other gently poking, prodding and investigating Starscream's shoulder armor to prove to himself that the seeker was real. And Starscream allowed it. He even smirked and took the investigating servo off his shoulder to set it on his faceplate.

"There," they could hear from the hallway, "now when you get tired of my constant babble and nonsense, you can cover my mouth. Though I can't guarantee that I'll stop talking, but it will be quieter."

Ratchet smiled and nodded, "Give them a few breems…" he looked back at the young mechs, "And if you two still want to talk to Starscream, you may do so after we've sent him out of the room. We'll need to keep Soundwave company while we continue to make batches of synthetic energon."

Knockout purred, "Ooo, an audience to witness our craft? How exciting."

"Believe me, Ratchet, we do want to talk to Starscream," Bumblebee nodded, "And it would be best for us to wait."

"And we will," Smokescreen smiled softly, "We have no reason to rush anyone."

ssssssssss

Ratchet walked into the med bay slowly, "As much as I would like to allow you to stay in here, Starscream, I do need to ask that you let Soundwave rest."

Starscream pouted a bit, while Soundwave's form began to shrink in, looking as though he was becoming defensive. Knockout followed Ratchet in closely.

"Soundwave, is that any way to greet your physicians?" the red mech pursed.

Starscream lightly patted the mech's shoulder, easing him back down, "He's tense. Though the Autobots have been circling him quite regularly upstairs, they did not contact him. He will need time, as I did."

"Good," Ratchet smiled a bit, going to his computer, "because he'll have plenty of it after he's given the go ahead to leave this room."

Soundwave laid back quietly in his berth, staying still.

Starscream stood, giving the quiet, blue mech a light smile, "I'll check on you again as I'm allowed to. Should the Autobots permit it, my servos need to be deep within some sort of task to get this planet up and running again."

He turned to leave, but the silent mech shot up, his servo grabbing his, "Soundwave," he stated mechanically; the seeker looked back in surprise, this being his first time hearing the mech, "Grateful…"

Soundwave slowly let go of Starscream's servo and laid back down, getting comfortable.

Starscream smiled, "You're welcome, Soundwave. Repay me by getting better, will you?"

The seeker wasn't surprised when the blue mech didn't answer and simply walked out of the med bay, the doors closing behind him.

_That went very well. How do you feel?_

Starscream shrugged, stretching, "Better, I suppose. But I didn't expect his thanks."

"You saved his spark, why wouldn't he thank you?"

The seeker's wings perked and he spun around, seeing Bumblebee and Smokescreen leaned up against the wall, waiting.

He frowned a little, "I, uh, didn't see you there. Waiting for someone?"

"You, if that's all right," Bumblebee spoke again, "We were wondering how you were doing."

Starscream just stared, almost uneasily.

Smokescreen sighed, pulling himself from the wall, "Look, we know this is kind of strange, but we figure we owe it to you to at least try. We'll get some energon, have a break from crazy stuff for a bit?"

The seeker studied the two carefully for a moment, then shrugged, "Fine, we can."

The three started down the hall, Starscream chuckling, "I hope Ultra Magnus doesn't find out you two aren't on duty."

Bumblebee smirked, "Not you, too, Starscream."

ssssssssss

This was too awkward. Starscream had his cube, and he was comfortable in his seat, but the two Autobots sitting across from him seemed to ruin the moment. Or maybe that was the silence that loomed over them because of lack of conversation. Why did Knockout have to make silence look like fun?

And where was the voice, why wasn't he helping him?!

_Your life is not at stake. And another cannot teach the lesson that needs to be learnt here. Enjoy their presence; they are the ones reaching out to you. So let them speak to you, and you should speak back. This is what we've been leading up to, isn't it?_

But Starscream didn't know what to say. How do you have a civil and meaningless conversation with mechs you've tried to rip apart?

The voice did not respond. This angered Starscream just the slightest.

"So," Bumblebee started.

Starscream smiled a little and that was about it. Frag, they were just as scared as he was. That made him feel a little better, but not by much.

The seeker let out an intake after a moment, "This is harder than you thought it would be."

Smokescreen sipped from his cube, "A bit, yeah. Doesn't matter how many times you go over it in your helm beforehand."

"Well," Starscream shrugged, "you said you were waiting for me, so what did you want to discuss?"

Bumblebee sipped from his cube as well, "Mostly how you were taking it. Everything in general. You weren't looking so good after Ratchet and Knockout scooped Soundwave."

The seeker grimaced, rolling his optics, "Ah, not my best performance, but yes, the state Soundwave was in was a contributor to that. In part," he played with his cube a bit, "The rest of the credit goes to the room. He'd been tearing into the walls and had carved messages into it."

Smokescreen and Bumblebee stared in surprise, and Starscream didn't seem to notice, "Soundwave is a very careful individual. He speaks on the rarest of occasions and lets no one know the inner workings of his mind. To see it so readily torn into the walls was… different."

Smokescreen coughed a little, clearing his throat, "Uh huh…"

Starscream's wings perked and he shrunk back a little in embarrassment, "Sorry, that's probably something you don't need to hear."

"Maybe not now," Bumblebee shrugged, "but if we're going to be working with Soundwave, we'll need to know about him, won't we? He's a private mech. A very… very, very… very, private mech."

The seeker chuckled, "He's very good at what he does. I assure you, once you get used to his presence and remember 'yes' and 'no' questions are easiest to ask him, it all makes up for it."

"He's a spy too, right?" Smokescreen asked.

Starscream snorted, "Only when Megatron told him to keep an optic on me. Other than that, he was busy making sure communication relays were sound and that the drones knew their tasks. Perhaps Bulkhead could use his assistance once the weather clears."

Bumblebee laughed a little, "There's no hope with those drones. I don't even know how you guys were able to fight us back so long using those guys, they're so hard to work with."

The seeker laughed a bit with them, feeling more at ease as he sipped his energon.

_See? Enjoy this moment. You had no use of me here. _

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**Still waiting for that energon.**


	17. The One Who Made It

**It's cold** **today.**

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_So they trust you to be out of the Nemesis again?_

Starscream smirked, climbing over a pile of rubble, "They know I have no where to go. Besides, I don't think Ultra Magnus would allow me to escape alive should I try again."

_Really?_

The seeker shrugged, looking as far as he could on the pile, "It's just a feeling I have. He's protective of them, the rest of the team. I would expect nothing less than my demise should he suspect something."

"Starscream!" Smokescreen shouted from some distance away, "Anything?"

Starscream sighed, cupping his servos to his mouth, "Nothing! You know this would be easier if you were COMMing me!"

"You never gave me your COMM frequency!"

The seeker snorted, jumping down from his perch, "You never asked! Let's meet up, exchange frequencies, then keep moving!"

"Good plan, give me a klik!"

_What does today's journey entail searching for?_

Starscream moved along quickly, zigzagging through the wreck of the city around him, "The usual. Energon, supplies, other Cybertronians. You never know what could suddenly be discovered."

_Very true. What are you hoping to find today?_

The seeker paused, smiling, "Something that will make Knockout scream in surprise."

The screeching of wheels descended on Starscream's audials and he stopped entirely, watching as Smokescreen transformed and jogged up to him, "I don't know why we didn't just exchange these earlier," he sent out a ping, to which Starscream picked up on and responded to, "We should've done this when Ultra Magnus picked us for the scouting team."

The seeker nodded, "Yes, but we're doing it now and this will make the rest of the mission much simpler. Besides, I think we were all in a bit of surprise when Magnus said, you, me and Starscream."

Smokescreen smiled, "I thought he would have waited a few cycles more."

Starscream began to walk along, the blue mech following behind, "I think I'm realizing that we don't have a few cycles more. Refugees could be here any cycle now. Most of them are civilians. Most of them won't know how to repair what's been damaged. Sure, they could learn, but then the refugees build up with no where to go and things just descend into slag."

Smokescreen sighed, "It's at times like this that I wonder what Optimus would do."

The seeker stopped walking, thinking, "You know… I think he'd be right alongside Bulkhead, putting up the buildings."

The blue mech laughed slightly, "Yeah, he probably would."

After a few breems of scouring the area together, Smokescreen and Starscream split off from each other. Ultra Magnus was a few kliks back from them, having to recreate a map for the Nemesis databases, but all were within COMM reach by now.

"This is so much more relaxing," Starscream mused, "Megatron never would have asked for a mission like this one should the Decepticons have won. He would have said, 'destroy the cities and build them back up in my image!'," the seeker scowled, "The drones would have hated that."

_It sounds as though it would not have been the most pleasant experience._

Starscream sighed, "I'm still trying to understand what happened to him. He's freed from Unicron, talks about oppression being wrong, then flies off. And the next time I see him, he's trying to kill me for something I haven't even done yet!"

_Perhaps as insurance that Megatron would never truly be free of him, Unicron damaged his mental state. Megatron is large and dangerous on his own enough to prevent Ratchet or Knockout from examining him._

The seeker hmmed, transforming and flying up so he didn't have to climb a half gone building, "I suppose," he replied, transforming again to land, "but what bothers me so much is the mentioning of myself and Soundwave and Shockwave, even Knockout. We were the highest ranking officers in our field, but Soundwave and Shockwave would never have gone against him."

_I cannot say for certain, and I know that we will never be sure, but Unicron never was known for insanity. There was method in his chaos, in the destruction he left._

"I know I'm not supposed to make assumptions…" Starscream sighed.

_It is never safe to rely on assumptions, but making one here to try and understand what happened to Megatron is not wrong._

The seeker's wings perked as he peered off in the distance, "Perhaps Unicron damaged his processor enough to a time when the four of us were all together, just before his second death. His revelation after his freedom from Unicron has him piecing two different time periods together, so he thinks Cybertron is still in danger."

_No planet is truly safe, Starscream, including this one. Until it has been rebuilt and reestablished with Cybertronians, Cybertron is still in danger._

Starscream rolled his optics, "I meant from me, Knockout, Soundwave and Shockwave. I don't even know where Shockwave ended up, he has about a million secret labs on this planet, and he's only shown me about three of them-"

"_Starscream, come in!_"

The seeker hushed and activated his COMM, "All right, Smokescreen, what did you find first?"

"_I'm pretty sure I'm being followed. It's big, but it hasn't-_" a loud shriek echoed in from the COMM and in the city around Starscream.

The seeker wasted no time in transforming and screeching through the skies to Smokescreen's location, "Stay where you are, I'm flying in!"

The shriek washed over the city again, followed by rapid plasma fire. Starscream flew passed Ultra Magnus as the mech drove in from where he was previously scouting, but the seeker made it to Smokescreen first. In a quick burst from his engine, he transformed, peds first, and kicked into the great metal maw of an Insecticon, throwing it off course from its charge on the smaller blue mech.

"Thanks for the advantage," Smokescreen hollered over his blaster fire, taking a few more shots to aim at the Insecticon's helm.

_Quite the discovery of sorts. Why is it here?_

Starscream was wondering the same thing and as he stood and backed away to allow mechs with working weapons to fight, the back of his heel kicked something blue, shiny and very valuable.

Smokescreen ran at the Insecticon and shoved it back with a hard punch, the monstrous mech shrieking and trying to swipe at him with its great claws. Ultra Magnus was rolling in fast from the side and used the momentum when he transformed to aide in a powerful blow to the Insecticon's chestplate. Leaking energon and obviously outmatched, the creature squealed, backing away.

Ultra Magnus moved to finish it off when Starscream ran at him, a servo outstretched, "Wait, stop!"

Magnus paused in surprise, looking to the seeker, "Starscream, what are you doing?"

"This is a misunderstanding, I can handle this," he held up a servoful of pure crystal energon, "We don't have to fight him!"

The Insecticon saw the crystal and groaned, standing quickly to reach for it.

Starscream was faster, "No, no!" he ordered and the creature shrunk back, "Calm down, I'm not taking this from you. But you must calm down…"

The Insecticon's intakes came out in rapid puffs, watching the seeker carefully. Once Smokescreen and Ultra Magnus transformed their weapons away, Starscream stepped forward, handing the Insecticon his crystal.

"It's all right, we're not here for trouble," he said softly.

The Insecticon waited a moment before snatching the crystal away and crushing it in his maw, getting the energon down as quickly as possible.

Smokescreen smirked as he watched Starscream gently take hold of the creature's arm and pat it, looking to Ultra Magnus, "So, can we keep him?"

ssssssssss

"You brought me what?!" Knockout screamed in surprise, staring up at the Insecticon looming over Starscream.

"A new friend," the seeker mused, "Remember the last time we saw an Insecticon was during a very unfortunate incident in which we were left with none."

The red mech sputtered, optics wide as the Insecticon knelt down and released a hot intake on him as a 'hello'. Knockout coughed, waving his servos angrily.

"No!" he growled, "I'm not keeping this!"

"Yes, we are," Ultra Magnus stepped forward, "It seems we missed quite a bit on the Nemesis a while ago, didn't we? Starscream mentioned something about a failed concoction of broken synthetic and dark energon."

Knockout growled at Starscream, "We swore on our paint jobs!"

"I think little of mine," the seeker smirked, "And besides, Soundwave put in his report that he sent them all to Luna-1," he gestured up to the moon rising above them, "So how did this one get here?"

The red medic crossed his arms and turned away, "Frag if I know-" his back arched and his shoulders hunched up when the Insecticon knelt over him, spinnerets of drool falling onto him from above; Knockout wailed loudly and in distaste.

Ultra Magnus walked passed the two, Smokescreen and Starscream following close, "Lead the Insecticon to your med bay, doctor. My team and I are going upstairs to speak with Soundwave. Once you have completed a full examination, COMM me to let me know your findings."

Starscream chuckled, whispering to Smokescreen, "We'll suffer for this later, I'm sure."

Smokescreen smiled, "That's why we have two medics; you get to pick the one that's not mad at you that day."

ssssssssss

Soundwave typed diligently at the console, sitting up straight in his chair. Ratchet hovered over him, watching him work. It really was a feat to behold, the slender digits ghosting over buttons and typing in commands so fast it seemed unreal.

"I'm impressed, Soundwave," the medic smiled, "you can work very nicely. But I have to ask that you stay seated to avoid any damage to your new repairs and to COMM anyone should you need energon or just a break in general."

The command deck door opened with a hiss, earning everyone's attention.

"Sir," Bumblebee nodded, "Back from recon so soon?"

Ultra Magnus stepped in, Starscream and Smokescreen behind him, "Evening team," he greeted, "We returned earlier because of a rather interesting discovery."

Ratchet pulled himself away from Soundwave's side to look at the large mech, "A relic? More supplies?"

"An Insecticon," Starscream pursed.

Bumblebee frowned, while Soundwave seemed to glance in surprise, then type even faster, "Uh, pardon me for saying so, but an Insecticon doesn't sound like something we would need right now."

Ratchet's face fell, "Synthetic energon is a slow going process as it is with only two of us working on it and the synthesizing chambers still in need of repair. If we keep finding mechs like this, we'll all starve!"

"Then lucky for you, Insecticons are masters at finding resources," the seeker smirked, "Allow us to regale you with the details before you see this as a negative situation."

Ratchet crossed his arms, "See that you do-"

Soundwave suddenly stood quickly and walked passed the old medic, silently going to Starscream.

"Soundwave, your repairs-" Ratchet warned.

But the silent mech simply stood in front of the seeker, helm cocked to the side in his way of asking a question.

And Starscream nodded, "He's downstairs in the med bay. Knockout's tending to him to make sure he's of sound strength and processor. We're sure he escaped Luna-1," the pair then began to walk off, out of the room, the rest of the group forced to follow, "we're just not sure how. And having Insecticons around would definitely speed up searches and construction…"

Ratchet sighed, "There is no peace yet, is there?"

Ultra Magnus smiled, "In excitement?" he chuckled, "No, not yet there isn't."

ssssssssss

**It's like playing Operation. But with Hasbro... wait a minute...**


	18. For Those Who Did Not

**Insecticons be my homeboys. Don't mess with m' boys.**

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"Heeeeelp!" Knockout screamed as he hung upside down.

The Insecticon did not like being poked and prodded at and after all the necessary repairs had been made, had decided Knockout looked so much better hanging upside down by his ped and held up nice and high.

The red mech struggled, trying to reach anything that would help him get down, "If you scratch my paint, so help you, I'll turn you into a chair!"

The Insecticon merely snorted, letting him hang in the air. This was better than all the medical work Knockout had been doing earlier.

"Did someone squeal for assistance?" Starscream chuckled, coming through the med bay doors with Soundwave, "Or was that simply my processor giving me a gleeful moment?"

Knockout pointed angrily, "This is your fault, seeker! I blame you!"

The seeker smiled, staring up at him, "Do so all you like, but I will get you down," he produced a rather large cube of energon from behind his back, "This is for the Insecticon who lets Knockout go."

The creature's sensors perked and it squealed, but Starscream held the cube back, "Ah, gently, gently!"

With a snort, the Insecticon grumbled and slowly set the red medic down on a med berth before turning his attention back to Starscream.

"Well done," the seeker smiled, holding out the cube, "this is for you."

Large servos and claws took the cube roughly and held it tight as the creature sat on the floor and nursed from it slowly, relishing in it.

As Knockout scrambled to get up off the berth, Starscream sat next to him, watching the Insecticon, "I hope this doesn't sound too prying," the seeker purred, "but we are in need of information, something only you can help us with," he gestured to Soundwave, "My colleague here is very good at communications if this proves to be of some issue."

The Insecticon shook his helm, still nursing, "You need to know…?" he said slowly.

Starscream waved his servos, "Please, not yet, we have others joining us. You see, the last the three of us in this room saw of your kind was just after the…"

"Zombie outbreak," Knockout growled.

The seeker rolled his optics, "Sure, let's call it that… After the outbreak aboard this very ship that rendered nearly half of our troops as nothing more than scrap."

The Insecticon nodded, "This, I remember…" he grumbled.

"Any progress?" Ultra Magnus asked, coming into the room with the rest of the Autobots.

Arcee stared at the Insecticon, "We got an early night off because of an Insecticon?"

"Not just any Insecticon, Arcee," Starscream frowned, "One who was aboard this ship the night of some very… bad circumstances."

Knockout pouted, "Starscream slagged up and tried to pin it all on me!"

The seeker's wings perked up, "Don't point digits at me, you could have very well have done the procedures on your own without my intervention and then the entire thing would have been your fault."

"See! You do take credit."

"Oh boys?" Arcee smirked, "We don't need a contest here."

Ultra Magnus stepped forward, "I have to agree with Arcee. Starscream, why is an Insecticon of significance?"

Starscream crossed his arms, sitting up straighter, "They're very good at what they do, lifting, flying, searching. That is very important to us right now."

"We know that," Bulkhead huffed, "Fighting them in battle was hard enough, we know how strong they are."

The seeker sighed, "And yet, at the same time very vulnerable. You see, Knockout _and _I," he emphasized, glaring at the red mech beside him, "were responsible for accidentally creating some sort of spreading infection. We mixed broken synthetic energon with dark energon to see if Megatron would have control over subjects enhanced by both solutions. We miscalculated."

"Miscalculated?" Ratchet gasped, "What did you use it on?"

Knockout pouted, "Silas, who was currently parasiting off Breakdown's chassis…"

The old medic just buried his faceplates in his servos, so Wheeljack piped up, "Well, what happened?"

"Well, he was burning through his energon reserves so quickly, we thought he'd just power down," Knockout defended, "But he mutated and instead of offlining, he went around sucking energon out of the Vehicons. And then _they_ started doing the same thing!"

Starscream smiled at the memory, happy to have lived through it, "It was the most terrifying experience I'd ever had on this ship."

The red medic frowned at him, "The point is, in Silas's haste to find energon, he stumbled into one of the lower storerooms where we were housing Airachnid's stasis pod. He let her out trying to drain her."

Arcee's optics widened, then solidified into a glare, "Airachnid's free? She escaped?"

Starscream's optics flickered, "No, no, she did run around the ship for a bit, but that was only to gather the Insecticons we had. She was about to go after Soundwave when he simply bridged her elsewhere. Which turned out to be Luna-1."

The Insecticon finished his large cube of energon, grumbling, "This is true…"

Arcee turned to the creature, "Is she still there?"

The Insecticon huffed, "Too dangerous. Drain you dry."

The comment hung in the air like a blanket before Bulkhead squeaked out, "She got infected by Silas?"

The monstrous mech nodded, scratching at the side of his helm in thought, "We follow to Luna-1. Leader was angry, portal close and leave us. She ask to serve her."

Starscream's wings slowly flattened against his back, "You're not infected though…"

Knockout shook his helm, cradling himself a bit, "He's not, he's not, I would've been drained if he was."

The Insecticon shook his helm, rumbling, "No. Not drained. Was hurt in fight. Others scramble to be next to serve her. I too, but was hit here," he pointed to the side of the back of his helm, where a gash had slowly been healing up, "Rip out Leader's voice. Not hear her. See her turning brothers into monsters. Very hard getting away. Flew far as wings could, then drifted into Cybertron. Wake up and find no one," he nodded, "Was some time ago…"

Ultra Magnus stepped forward, offering his servo, "You did escape, and you saved yourself. You should count yourself lucky," the Insecticon took the help, pulling himself up, "it sounds like you've been through quite an ordeal."

"Yes," he rumbled again, "A lot. Want go back, see if others survive. Not sure how to save them if they are."

_How are you feeling about this?_

Starscream tensed a little at the question. In his experience with Insecticons, they were easy to handle. They were the reason why he had treated the Predacons as such, he thought they were very similar. It turned out they were not. But in any case, a very large portion of him didn't want to bother to see if Airachnid was alive or not. He simply wished her dead.

"We can't just leave her up there," Arcee growled.

Starscream was pulled from his thoughts, optics flickering in surprise. Well, this was a turn of events.

The femme was shaking, "If there's even a chance that she's still functioning, we have to go up there and make sure she can't hurt anyone else ever again."

Or not.

Ultra Magnus nodded, "Arcee, I know this is a delicate subject for you, but our work here must progress. Luna-1 can be investigated at another time."

_Are they answering the right questions?_

The seeker watched and waited. He wanted to see if they would.

"I don't think we'll have much to worry about from her, or the rest of the Insecticons," Ratchet advised, a datapad in his servo, "Research Knockout and I conducted shows that the dark energon left on the ship has been rendered about as useful as plain rock with regards to a fuel source. It's lost all power, so the mutation it caused in Airachnid should be gone."

"Insecticons last long time," the Insecticon hmmed, "We slumber long for reserving energon. Mutation gone, all would recharge."

Arcee looked angry, "See? We can't just take this risk!"

"I am sorry, Arcee, but if something were to happen to you up on Luna-1, there would be little we could do to help you," Ultra Magnus sighed, "This mission is too risky at this time."

It sounded like the matter was settled.

_Did they answer all of the questions?_

No, Starscream thought, they certainly did not.

"And what happens when some of the Insecticons decide to chance coming here?" the seeker asked, "Like this one did? Can was say the risk was too great then?"

Arcee glanced at Starscream in thanks, her fire not yet extinguished, "I won't go it alone. I know that's not how it works. I'll need a team."

Wheeljack stepped forward, "And a ship. Bulk and I have been busy in our spare time with the Jackhammer."

Magnus studied the pair, seeing their determination.

"Please, sir," Arcee asked, "We need to be sure."

The large mech finally nodded, "I will spare three more mechs to the two of you. See what you can find. Report anything and everything. You can leave as soon as you're ready. Let me know, and I'll be sure to send you off properly."

Ultra Magnus nodded again, then left the bay to the rest of the team.

Arcee smiled a little and sighed in relief, "I thought I was going to have to sneak away," she looked at Starscream, "Thanks for the save."

"Your concerns are similar to mine," he shrugged, patting the Insecticon's arm, "This one managed to escape without being infected, but without dark energon fueling them, what happened to the rest? They could easily be carrying something we don't want to land here."

"Doom!" Knockout suddenly yelled, jumping up from his seat and running out of the room, "It's Doom all over again!"

Starscream shook his helm, "I'm not going to try to understand his human reference."

"I guess that also means he's not coming with us," Wheeljack smirked, "Anyone else want to come along?"

The seeker's wings perked, "You mean besides me? You have two more seats available to offer."

The Insecticon rumbled, "I wish to go."

"That's very thoughtful of you," Ratchet stated, coming up to the monstrous mech, "but we can't risk Airachnid taking control of you again, or getting hurt. You already have enough damage done to your helm. It would be well advised if you stayed here until they returned."

The Insecticon whined a little, looking to Starscream. But the seeker looked back and nodded, so the creature slumped back down, allowing Ratchet to take a look at his injuries.

"I'll go," Bumblebee offered, "I haven't had a cycle off the command deck yet, it'd be nice to get back to scouting."

Soundwave's screen lit up, Bumblebee's voice echoing from his speakers, "I'll go."

Wheeljack smirked, pounding a fist into his servo, "This should be quite the mixed bag of fun. Sorry you didn't pipe up fast enough, Bulk."

Bulkhead smiled and shook his helm, "Sorry Jackie, I want to go, but Ultra Magnus is going to need me to keep the Vehicons in line. I can't let them get to slacking."

"Then it's settled," Arcee smiled, "Wheeljack, Bee, Starscream, Soundwave and I will go to Luna-1 as soon as possible. We'll see if we can save any of the Insecticons," she said to the remaining one in the room, "but Airachnid is not to be trusted."

Starscream shook his helm, "Even I would suggest trying to save Megatron's spark before hers…"

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**Bad Knockout. Stop going to the drive-in movies. How did he sneak in without money? Hmmm...**


	19. None Above

**I should warn y'all, I'm working at a Con in the beginning of Nov. So, I have work I AM doing. I hope to finish this before then.**

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Starscream sighed for the hundredth time, "Are we there yet?"

"If he says that one more time," Wheeljack huffed.

Arcee patted the mech's shoulder, looking over at Starscream, "Wheeljack's ship is going as fast it can, Starscream. It was just repaired after quite a difficult battle, remember?"

The seeker whined, staring out a window, "But it's so slow! Wheeljack, you and I are going to have to have a discussion on the meaning of speed when it comes to a flight capable machine."

"Lay off the Jackhammer, Scream," Wheeljack finally shrugged, "I like the way she flies, fast or slow."

Starscream crossed his arms, glancing at Soundwave, "I'm sure Soundwave would agree with me, don't you Soundwave?"

The silent mech barely turned to meet the seeker's gaze, leaving his side to sit by Wheeljack.

The wrecker laughed, "Guess he doesn't mind taking the scenic route either!"

"Why are we taking the long way?" Bumblebee asked, looking out the front window, "I may not have the same reasons as Starscream for wanting the ship to go faster, but wouldn't it be better to get to the Insecticons and Airachnid as fast as possible?"

Wheeljack smiled, "True, kid, but Soundwave bridged the whole bug hive on the front side of the moon. We're gonna be slow goin' to the back and we'll speed up to get into position," he smirked back at Starscream, "You'll need to have yourself fastened down for that part, Scream."

"_Star_scream," he emphasized, "and as you know, I'll not be in the ship at that point. Once we're close enough, Soundwave and I will be leading the ship in for a safe landing…" he stared down at the missiles on his arms, happy to have been given armed privileges again; it hurt being defenseless.

The seeker smirked back at the wrecker, sitting in a seat comfortably, "We will see how much you adore the mediocre velocity of your ship then."

Wheeljack smiled, "I'll take the challenge."

_Are you ready? You seem more at ease than you're letting on._

Starscream wasn't as comfortable as he was allowing everyone else to think, but he couldn't be worried yet. They hadn't seen any floating chassis' or Cybertronian parts on their way towards Luna-1, so they could safely guess that the Insecticon hive and Airachnid were still based on the moon. This they hoped, but did not voice.

The seeker rubbed the side of his helm, trying not to let the nervousness show, but the tell was in his wings; the way they sat, the way they drooped, and the odd twitch in the larger left one every few minutes. Starscream was on edge.

Bumblebee sat in a seat next to the seeker, smiling a bit, "Been a while since we last saw Airachnid in action."

"Yes," Starscream purred, "but hopefully this will be the last we will need to deal with her. She may not have liked her alignment with the Decepticons, but she was one of the worst when it came to just about anything. As Arcee said earlier, she's not to be trusted."

Arcee glanced back from where she stood beside Wheeljack, "Can you believe we were saying the same thing about you not even a few solar cycles ago?"

The seeker pouted, "I had more reason to earn your trust. Airachnid is truly all about what she can get. Which could include this ship. I hope it has a very strong security system, Wheeljack."

"It won't even be on the ground, Scream," the wrecker smirked again, turning the ship as they rounded to the back of Luna-1, "Once we're off, I'll be putting her just out of reach. Airachnid won't have a chance to even know that we brought a ship."

Soundwave stood silently, passing Starscream as the seeker stood as well. They both walked to the side door of the ship to prepare as the atmosphere outside became more stable and they got closer to the moon's surface.

"_Star_scream," he emphasized again, opening the door once they were reading, Soundwave jumping out first, "And don't you forget it!"

The seeker dove out after the blue mech, both transforming and slowing their descent to allow the Jackhammer to catch up.

Wheeljack chuckled, pressing a button to close the side door, "I don't forget, I just don't care to remember."

Arcee shook her helm and patted his shoulder, "Keep that to yourself or Starscream will make it a habit of reminding you every chance he gets."

The wrecker only nodded, following the two airborne mechs as they guided his ship to the surface, "At this point, I really don't think he'd mind."

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"Filthy, filthy!" Starscream hissed, kicking dust off his peds.

The Jackhammer was unloading its occupants behind him while he inspected the area, a mostly barren landscape with very few places to hide.

"Filthy," he hissed again, Soundwave coming up behind him, "We should have brought Knockout. We would be the most amused audience to his agony the universe has ever known."

Soundwave merely nodded his helm and kept walking, his peds kicking up more dust from the moon's metal surface.

"Don't go off too far, Soundwave," Arcee called, "We're going to need you in a moment."

The silent mech lifted a servo as his wave back to her and kept walking, inspecting quietly.

Starscream made his way back to the group, however, shielding his optics as the Jackhammer was remotely set into autopilot and the ship lifted off to wait in the atmosphere, "Well, where are we going from here?"

Wheeljack held out a datapad, pressing a few commands in, "There's a moon base a few miles this way. If the hive's been here as long as you guys say it has, then we might want to check there first to see if they found supplies to feed off of before hunkering down nearby."

"Sounds like a good shot," Bumblebee smiled, but Starscream took the map from Wheeljack, scowling.

"This base is a one room shed," he exclaimed, "What supplies could be in there?"

Arcee took the map away from him, handing it back to the wrecker, "I've been there before, Starscream. It is small, but it's bigger than it looks on a map. Before the war, that's where ships would drop off supplies to mechs who were doing research up here. After the war, most mechs forgot about it."

Starscream grumbled, "Yes, fine. Then let's find Soundwave and ask where exactly he bridged the hive-"

Soundwave leaned in from the side, pointing a few miles north of their location, a little ways above the base. His sudden appearance startled the Autobots, but the seeker shrugged and nodded.

"Yes, very good, Soundwave," he nodded, beginning to walk, "Let's make haste, group! I'm sure we wouldn't want to keep everyone else back on Cybertron waiting for our valiant return."

The Autobots stared at Soundwave a moment longer before gathering themselves up and setting off after Starscream, blasters ready and optics searching for movement.

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"There, you see?" Starscream huffed, pointing to the moon base off in the distance, "Infinitesimal!"

The rest of the group made their way over the metal hill, rolling their optics.

Arcee shook her helm, "I'm telling you, it has plenty of space to hold resources if they had found it. If they did use it at one point or another," she started going down the small ridge, "then they'll be close by."

Soundwave and Wheeljack followed after her, only Bumblebee staying behind.

"You know," he said softly to the seeker, "it does look rather small. But it's better to investigate and be sure than disregard it completely, huh?"

Starscream just frowned and went off after them, being the last to follow Arcee.

_You don't like this place?_

It's not that Starscream didn't like the little moon base; he just didn't want to waste his time searching something that obviously couldn't house the entirety of the Insecticon hive.

_Time spent here only proves you have elsewhere to look._ _Don't think of this as wasting time, but ensuring you are right._

Like that made it any easier.

Arcee was the first to get to the base, inspecting the door, which hung on by only a few shreds of metal, and the claw marks leading away from the damage.

"They were definitely here," she crouched, touching the tears in the metal, "A lot of them, too. They must have all been sticking together then."

"Well, easier for us then, hm?" Starscream smiled, "All the simpler to round them up and get them off this rock."

Bumblebee followed some claw marks a few feet away, which curved down a small ledge, "Looks like they left going this way."

Wheeljack set a servo on his hip, ghosting over a bomb, "Then lets keep our optics peeled for any of 'em who want to say 'hello'."

The two walked over to the ledge to assess where to go next and Arcee joined them. It was only Starscream and Soundwave who held back, both staring into the little moon base intensely.

_What is wrong? You and Soundwave are like statues, staring into the void. _

And Starscream couldn't agree more. Soundwave watched him as he held out a servo and caught a wisp of something gently blowing on a rare Luna-1 breeze. He felt it stick to his digits and as he brought it closer to inspect he heard Arcee calling from behind them.

"Are you two tired? Let's move, Bee found a trail!"

But Starscream ignored her, rubbing the sticky tendril in between digits and thumb to remove it from his servo as he stepped inside the base, looking around.

Arcee stared in disbelief, turning to Bumblebee and Wheeljack, "Hold on, something's up."

The Autobots stopped and turned back towards the base, walking cautiously as Soundwave himself went inside. Starscream came out with him a few moments later, his wings covered in webs and his optics wide.

Wheeljack stared, almost laughing, "Fall into the dark ages, Scream?"

Starscream hushed him, wings pulling flat against his back, "I found them."

Arcee frowned, "You said they wouldn't all fit in there, which of course they wouldn't-"

"I know," the seeker said quietly, "and I was right. They aren't in the base. The base is the door."

The group quieted down, staring at the ripped and hanging door as Starscream pointed down, "They've dug their way under us."

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**Let's see if I can post one more tonight...**


	20. Those Below

**I do accept questions, that I may or may not answer fully (no SPOILERS, SPOILERS). PM me if you like.**

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The base was dark inside; it was easy to miss what the Insecticons had done. But it was the chance little gust of wind that had brought the entrance's attention to the seeker and led him to the opening. The base had two rooms, the front for energon and medical supplies for quick reaching, and the back, which housed engineering parts. Or used to. Now those supplies had long since rusted or disappeared.

The gaping maw of a torn and shredded opening now called this room home. A cave carved in to allow sleeping giants to remain concealed just under the peds of unsuspecting mechs. Webbing delicately draped itself along the lip of the cave, only proving that their main target on this mission had decided to stay close by to her simple-minded slaves.

Arcee took an intake quietly, staring into the hole in the floor, "All right. We found them."

Starscream shuddered, still picking webbing from his wings, "Knockout was right, this is something out of some human horror movie. We'll end up cocooned alive and feasted upon, or force fed spider eggs that'll hatch and crawl out through our optics…"

Bumblebee grimaced, "Ew."

Wheeljack only shrugged, kneeling down to peer in, "Yep, that sounds like some of Miko's favorite kind of films. Luckily, we don't live in a B movie," he held up a grenade, "and I don't intend on letting them get out alive."

Starscream glared, "Airachnid is the one we need to eliminate, if the situation turns that way. The rest need to be saved."

The wrecker shrugged again, "No promises."

"We don't expect any," Arcee whispered, "but we're going to try. Bee, lower me down."

Bumblebee laid flat against the side of the hole and took the femme's servo, lowering her in slowly, "Careful, can you see anything?"

Arcee shook her helm, her optics adjusting to the dim light, "No, not much. Give me a few kliks."

Soundwave gently tapped on Starscream's shoulder, gesturing to his chestplate.

The seeker frowned, "Hm? Oh, Laserbeak, yes, let's do that…"

The silent mech popped the little symbiot from his chest, which Starscream caught and led gingerly to the hole, "Arcee, you have company coming in. Don't mind him much, will you?"

Laserbeak sprung to life, flying quietly from the seeker's servos, mapping out the cave for Soundwave.

Arcee watched the bird-like mech fly off, her optics seeing much clearer now, "It seems there's another cavern just ahead. Bee drop me and the rest of you get down here."

Bumblebee did so, dropping in beside Arcee as the rest followed suit, Soundwave being the last to jump down.

"All right, let's see," Starscream hmmed, looking at the map Soundwave was constructing on his screen, "This chamber is like a 'wipe-your-peds' kind of area, go over there and to the left we have some basic rooms…" he huffed, "This would be easier if anyone could understand the inner workings of an Insecticon's constructive process…"

Suddenly, Soundwave's map stopped in progress and the group watched in silence.

"… Is he broken?" Bumblebee whispered.

Soundwave said nothing, so Starscream shook his helm, "No, Laserbeak has stopped moving. But there's more ground to cover, so why has he stopped?"

Arcee's servo transformed into a blaster, "Maybe the home owners are awake. Let's check it out," and she started walking, the rest of the Autobots following her lead.

Soundwave passed Starscream quickly, his claws flexing, but the seeker found himself walking slower than the rest, his wings trembling.

_You are afraid._

Slag yes he was afraid. It was bad enough being under ground. One of the last times he was in a cave ended badly… Scratch that, nearly every experience he'd had with a cave ended poorly. Whether the walls caved in or he as being shot at or an Insecticon was trying to eat him… To top it all off, if something went wrong and he needed to fly away, he wouldn't be able to maneuver as well in this tightly spaced little cave.

_It is all right to be frightened, Starscream, but in your fear you must also remain calm. Do not forget that I am here to assist you. I will not leave you to fend for yourself._

The seeker did take some comfort in that.

Up ahead, Arcee stopped, putting a servo up to stop the rest of the group. She crouched down and walked to the side of the cave's wall, the others following. Starscream couldn't see ahead, so he trusted her judgment. After a few kliks, she pointed out and rushed to secure a spot behind some large rocks that were just outside the opening of a very large and web covered chamber. The group followed, nestled together closely.

"What now?" Wheeljack whispered.

Bumblebee looked around carefully, then pointed, "Look! Up in the webbing!" he hissed softly.

Tangled and struggling to escape was Laserbeak, quietly flapping his wings in frustration.

Soundwave moved to go and rescue the little creature, but Starscream pulled him back, "Wait, hold on!"

Arcee frowned, "Starscream, what's wrong?"

The seeker's wings perked, "Didn't you ever have to stop the Vehicons from watching the nature channel? … Maybe that's not a huge problem out here, look the point is that human spiders don't differ too much from Airachnid," he pointed to the flooring, which was also covered in webbing, "Laserbeak is rather small and probably isn't registering on Airachnid's web lines, but the floor of this cave is covered in the stuff. We step on the wrong line, we could have the whole of the hive on us. Did we miss the part where they may also be contaminated?" he hissed.

Bumblebee nodded as Soundwave sat back slowly, "So? We just need to be more careful."

Starscream rolled his optics, "Thank Primus that I'm blessed with the pointiest of peds," he purred, "I'll sneak in and avoid the lines, then cut Laserbeak down. We're in deep enough as it is, so Soundwave? It's probably best to keep Laserbeak on you from here on out."

Soundwave only nodded slightly as the seeker stood and peered over the rock, seeing the first of many hundreds of web lines on the floor, "Oh, this will be a tricky one…"

Arcee tugged on his arm, "I think the important bit is this: can you make it?"

Starscream nodded, "Yes, but it might take a breem or two. Better start now then, shouldn't I?" he pulled himself over the rock slowly, picking out where his peds needed to step first before sliding down.

Wheeljack looked over the rock, pointing out a clear spot, "Scream, there!" he whispered as best he could, "Step there!"

"I can see it just fine, stop rushing me," Starscream grumbled.

The seeker took a few steps, then paused, looking around carefully.

Wheeljack watched, tapping a digit, then pointed again, "Scream, right ped just over that small rock."

The seeker did as the wrecker asked, hissing, "_Star_scream!"

Bumblebee also took a hint of what Wheeljack was trying to do, and decided to help, "Starscream to your left," he whispered, "there's another clear spot."

"C'mon, Starscream," Arcee whispered as well, "Let's get out of this quicker.

"Don't rush things," he hissed again, moving a long a bit quicker now, "this is delicate."

Wheeljack pointed at another spot, "There, Scream! Another clear spot!"

"For frag's sake," Starscream hissed, still stepping along, "My name is _Star_scream!"

The wrecker smirked, laughing to himself, "You can call me Jackie if you want to even things out."

The seeker scowled, hissing again, "I want nothing evened out. You will call me 'Starscream' and I will call you 'Wheeljack', now…" he waved him off wildly as he took his next step, "shut the frag up, you're making me lose my concentration."

Wheeljack bit his glossa to fight a laugh, nudging Bumblebee, "If this wasn't so life threatening, I'd be to pieces laughing so hard."

The yellow mech only smiled a little, nodding. Starscream did look pretty ridiculous taking those large steps. And making him angry while performing the task just added to the amusement. But neither Arcee, nor Soundwave, looked amused.

"Both of you stop it," Arcee whispered, "We need to get Laserbeak down, then find Airachnid and the Insecticons, stay focused."

Bumblebee nodded, even though he was pretty focused right now. He was watched as Starscream took that final step, standing just under Laserbeak, and silently cheered to himself, reaching up.

"Hush, Laserbeak," the seeker purred, "your rescuer is here."

The bird-like creature stopped struggling as hard as talons embraced him and cut away the tendrils that were strangling his form. Within kliks, Laserbeak was freed and the little mech flew off, diving for cover behind the rock Soundwave was using to hide.

Starscream smiled and turned back, whispering, "That wasn't so hard."

_Starscream-!_

The seeker's wings perked in surprise as he heard a strange clicking behind him and before he could guess what it was, a powerful blow struck him down and a grapple of spindly legs encircled him in webbing.

"Airachnid!" Arcee shouted, firing a shot at the spider.

Airachnid snarled and dodged the shot, jumping onto the ceiling and climbing up a hole covered in webs. Starscream scrambled to get up, Wheeljack and Soundwave running to his side to help, but a sudden tug from the webbing around his legs knocked him back down. The second one tore him up from the ground and into the spider's hidden den, where he disappeared from sight.

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**Reviews, anyone? I can already hear you guys screaming. I'm smiling.**


	21. Forget and Forgiven

**Sorry I didn't post for a while. I do have a life. But then again, it is my story, I'll post when I wanna... If it helps, the story's about half done...**

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And then the swearing began. The seeker was calling her every name in the datapad, from some he heard as a sparkling to others he'd picked up from the barracks of the Decepticon army. Every degrading name, every insulting title he knew was being spit at the spider as he hung upside down and bound in her webbed nest.

And he was sure she would be angry at every word… if he wasn't gagged as well.

Airachnid purred on her berth made of webs, staring at the struggling seeker, "Starscream, you remind me of a moth. Insignificant, flighty, erratic, and the way they fight a spider's trap is very much how you're doing so now…" she flexed her claws, "with no regard in how futile their attempts are."

But the seeker continued to pull and wrench at his bindings, however strong they might be. He didn't care if it was futile; he was trying to get away in the least.

The spider lifted herself from her berth, gangly legs drawing her closer to Starscream, "But I suppose this makes you a more attractive meal. There would be no fun in prey that didn't try to fight the inevitable," she traced a claw against the line of his jaw, sneering, "And you're fighting very hard aren't you? Are you begging under the webs that silence you? Are you pleading for your miserable life under that gag, Starscream?"

He glared and lightly wrenched his face away from her, trying to shout but the words becoming muffled.

_Stop struggling as hard as you are. She feels comfortable coming in close. That will be her weakness. Make her think she has you more immobile than you are._

Airachnid drew her claw away, pacing in front of him, "You have no idea the torment I suffered, Starscream. The Insecticons only held off the hunger for so long until they too became like me, useless, starving, infected. We managed to find this place before it also became barren. We dug deeper, to hide and rest and wait. And then the dark energon flowing through us halted, only a short time ago…"

The seeker frowned, knowing that that must have also been the cycle when Unicron had been trapped and sealed away. When dark energon everywhere suddenly became cold.

Airachnid saw his expression and smirked, "The absence of the dark energon saved my Insecticons," she purred, pulling her faceplate nice and close to Starscream, "But my infection came direct from the source, courtesy of Breakdown's chassis…"

As close as she was now, the seeker could see lines leading from her mouth to the sides of her helm that shouldn't have been there anymore. But they were. Her infection was still present.

"I didn't even realize Silas was inside him until I ripped his chest open," the spider pulled away, "That was a very short lived victory."

She began pacing again, "But this one… this one I know will last me quite some time. I want to relish in your death as much as I will draining you of your precious energon."

Starscream wanted to snarl at her, but he couldn't. Curse this gag!

_Do not fret, she is becoming too relaxed. When she gets close again, strike._

Airachnid circled around the seeker dangerously, her claws flexed, "Perhaps it is best that I am the one to end you, Starscream. You know that I may let you suffer, but that an end is in sight," she stopped in front of him, tapping a claw against the side of his cheek plate, "it will take some time for you to die, that much I can promise you," with a swift move of her servo, the webbing across his mouth was ripped off clean.

Starscream snarled up at her now, her faceplate close as her mouth parted in all directions, a tube for syphoning energon emerging forth from the depths of her being. She roared back at him and moved closer, but the seeker wasn't done yet, as terrified and angry as he was.

He pulled his helm back and hit her as hard as he could, sneering when Airachnid staggered back and hissed at him, covering a dent he'd made. The spider wasn't fazed too much though; she started back at him again, claws raised in anger. Starscream struggled against his bindings as hard as he could, feeling one of his servos successfully transform as he fired shots into the webs binding his servos. He aimed at her next, still hanging upside down as he hit her in the chassis and staggered her back.

"Take that you filthy creature!" he hollered, pulling his other servo free of webs to fire more blasts of hot plasma on her, "How dare you try to end me! No one can end Starscream!"

The spider easily dodged his rapid fire, slowly moving in on him again, "I hate to burst your delusional bubble," she hissed, "but I'm going to end you now!"

Airachnid charged forward in one great leap and Starscream braced himself for the coming blow when the monster before him was suddenly knocked off course, blue plasma fire hitting her in the side.

Arcee glared from her spot as she emerged from a hole in the side of the web-covered chamber, "Sorry, Airachnid, but you're not ending anyone this day."

The spider hissed, crawling back onto the wall as she clutched a profusely leaking wound on her side. Her movements were becoming slow and difficult; she was starting to lose the last of her reserves.

With a snarl, she backed herself into a corner on the ceiling, "Arcee, what a pleasure…" Wheeljack and Soundwave followed in after the blue femme, Bumblebee taking up the rear, "and friends. How nice of you to bring company…"

The energon leakage was getting worse now, but Arcee didn't move from her spot. Her blasters were stilled trained on the spider, even as Soundwave and Bumblebee made their way to Starscream and cut him down.

"You're going to pay for everything you've done, Airachnid," Arcee hissed, "Today, everything will be made right."

The spider sneered, beginning to circle the group, "Is that what you think? That I'll simply lay down and let this end?"

"You're outmanned and outgunned," Wheeljack glared, "You might as well ask us to take you as a prisoner."

"No prisoners!" Starscream huffed, kicking webbing off his ped and tearing it off his wings, "Being a prisoner would be too good for her, let her die, Arcee!"

"You're going to listen to him?" Airachnid chuckled, "After what he did to the Autobots? After what he did to Cliffjumper?"

Arcee turned her glare from the spider to the seeker, then back to the wicked femme, "Starscream made peace with me on that matter. And now he's trying to right things," the blue femme's blasters charged up again, "I've forgiven him!"

The Insecticon roared and tried to dodge the blaster fire as it dealt damaging blows to the walls Airachnid ran upon. Starscream and Soundwave shielded themselves with their wings to avoid the rocks and webs that erupted from the walls and ceiling where the spider tried to hide.

Arcee ceased fire when Airachnid stopped to glare her down and just before the spider had a chance to jump and attack, the rocks and metals making up the room collapsed, swallowing her up underneath them.

The Autobots and fliers stepped back, staring at the half of the room that was now simply gone. Very little energon was leaking out from under the rubble, but little movement told them that they wouldn't have to worry about the spider any longer.

Arcee sighed heavily, transforming her servos back, "Not as satisfying as I wanted it to be," she grumbled.

The group stayed quite, letting her have the moment, before Bumblebee spoke up softly, "Is it ever?"

_No, it never is…_

Starscream stared down at the pile and grimaced slightly. A part of him was so relieved that Airachnid wouldn't be coming after them again. Another part silently grieved, knowing that he could easily have been in her position if life's directions hadn't gotten him where he was now.

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"Good to see you all back so soon," Ultra Magnus smiled, "Status report?"

Wheeljack was the first to step off the Jackhammer, rotating his shoulder, "Eh, a few punches, a few shots fired sir, but nothin' else to really report," he glanced at Arcee, "Unless someone else wants to add something?"

Arcee nodded as she followed him off the ship, "We had a run in with Airachnid, sir. We were unable to detain her."

Ultra Magnus nodded knowingly, "Yes, I see. Be sure to run a full report on the matter before you settle in."

The femme saluted lightly, "Sir," and continued on.

Bumblebee, Soundwave and Starscream were walking out together, all at ease with each other's presence and all in better spirits now that they were back home.

"Have you anything else to add?" Ultra Magnus inquired.

Soundwave remained silent, stopping only to give Magnus a shake of the helm, as did Bumblebee, but Starscream gave a scoff, "Airachnid is a sore loser," Ultra Magnus gave his a confused frown, so the seeker coughed and added, "um, sir," then scuttled off to join the rest of the group.

Smokescreen and Knockout were waiting by the side of the Nemesis, the blue mech looking a little more excited than the red.

"So?" Smokescreen smiled, "What did you guys find?"

"Eh, little a this, little a that," Wheeljack smirked, "Stories for a later time in the break room. Scream's got a heck of a tale to tell, I'm sure."

Starscream rolled his optics, scowling, "It's _Star_scream-" he paused, smirking as well, "But if you do so insist on calling me that, then I will have to take you up on your offer of calling you 'Jackie'."

The white wrecker nodded, smiling, "The nickname's all yours."

Knockout frowned, "Well then?"

Starscream chuckled darkly, coming to the red medic's side to hold around his shoulders, "Oh, we have a grand surprise just for you, my fantastically painted friend…" he turned to Soundwave, who nodded and opened a bridge just behind them.

From the portal, growls and squeals could be heard as the rumbling forms of all the Insecticons lost slowly came through, sniffing about and moving sluggishly.

The seeker sneered, "They all need a wash, a thorough examination, and cubes of energon to get them back in full working condition," he leaned in close to Knockout's audial, "And they're all for you, good doctor," he gave him a smack on the back, cackling as he left him, "Have fun!"

And Knockout stayed stock still, optics welling up with tears of horror as he stared up at all the Insecticons that needed attention. There wasn't enough paint in the world to fix what he had before him.

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**You're lucky to have this much. Con work, peeps. I'm making Head Pigeons. Look'em up.**


	22. Remember and Dwell

**Play the Transformers: Prime video game for 3DS. I love it. I played it for nearly 3 hours last night waiting for Pokémon X and Y. I am Starscream in multiplayer mode. No, you can't have him.**

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Starscream sat on the floor of his berthroom. He wasn't in a sour mood, he just didn't feel like resting on his berth. The floor was cool and refreshing on his sore shoulder joints, something he wanted to relax right now.

He twisted his neck cables, stretching his back, "By Primus, I did not need to be tied up like that…"

_If this is your only kind of injury, then count yourself very lucky, Starscream._

The seeker snorted, answering to the open air, "I count myself lucky that I'm able to complain about it at all."

_I see._

Starscream settled back on the floor, putting his peds up on a chair to elevate them, "Shall I tell you about the rest of the cycle?"

_If it puts you at ease to do so, I would be glad to hear about it._

The seeker smiled, "It actually does," he mused, clearing his throat, "Well, Knockout had a small panic attack after he saw all the Insecticons. Luckily, Ratchet was there to calm him down and keep his thoughts in order so they could get to work. Both doctors should be finishing up preliminary procedures tonight and dealing with the worst cases as they come. But all the Insecticons have been refueled and all of them are resting as they should," Starscream purred at his own ingenuity, "If it weren't for me, we wouldn't be adding this powerful workforce to the team."

_I congratulate your hard work, Starscream._

Starscream tried to smile wider, but frowned after having done so, "Hmm… it's not very satisfying…" he sat up a little, looking about the room, "I thought I would have been much more pleased with my own progress as of late. I fought Megatron, I saved Soundwave and nearly an entire civilization of Insecticons… Why am I not as pleased as one should be?"

_You are in serenity, Starscream. You are not too happy, nor too upset. You are balanced. Your actions these passed few cycles have begun to define you as a mech out of war. You do not need to fight anymore. You are not consumed by the need to survive. No one need draw a gun on you or beg you for mercy. They come to find your input on matters out of respect, not fear._

The seeker's wings twitched and he lay back down, staring at the ceiling, "Hm. I do suppose that is true…"

_Slip into recharge. I will be waiting to speak with you if you feel the matter needs to be discussed…_

The offer hung in the air as the voice went quiet. Starscream continued to stare at the ceiling, his mind, chassis and spark still too excited by the events of the cycle that day. He wanted to talk about it. Primus, or his subconscious, or whatever it was was doing a great bit of help. He really did enjoy when others listened to what he had to say…

The seeker kept his peds elevated on the chair as he stretched his arms up as high as he could reach, then brought them back to his chest to fold his servos neatly. He offlined his optics and sighed, content with the feeling of being in serenity.

ssssssssss

The world around him wasn't as dark gray as it had been before. It was lighter and brighter and he could start to make out the details of the area he stood in. There still wasn't much, but improvement was being made.

Starscream stood proud and tall in the world he had created, shrinking only slightly at the sound of pedfalls behind him.

"Hello again," the mech smiled, coming up behind him to enjoy the view, "Are you as pleased as I am on your progress?"

The seeker huffed and folded his arms, "I was admiring it until you came upon me."

"Would you prefer my absence?"

"Did I ask for it?" Starscream grumbled, "I only wanted a moment more of it to myself."

The mech nodded, his smile not fading, "Then I will give you that-"

"No, no," the seeker sighed, sitting on something gray with little details, "I can enjoy all of this later. For now, we can provide each other with company."

The figure nodded again, sitting beside Starscream, "Very well," he stared off into the distance, "What would you care to talk about?"

Starscream frowned at him a little, ignoring the question, "You've changed very little," he noted; the figure was still white, but the glow was not as prominent.

"Yes," the mech hmmed, staring down at digits that were better to see, "but my form is no reward to you, Starscream. This place, this peace you are creating within the confines of your own mind, that is your reward. I am very honored to say that I played a small roll in leading you to it."

The seeker only rolled his optics, "I would feel more at ease if you would tell me who you were. Or what you were."

"You described me as Primus once."

"But you never acknowledged it!" Starscream said shrilly, "I know you say you gain nothing from aiding me, but what kind of person does that?"

The mech sighed softly, but his smile wasn't gone, "Starscream," he said softly, setting a servo on his shoulder, "would it make you feel cheated if I told you that my aid to you was also helping others?"

The question lingered in the seeker's mind for only a moment before he answered honestly, "No, actually. You helped me deal with hard situations when it came to talking to the Autobots and now they have very little issue with me… Soundwave and the Insecticons…"

"You helped them on your own," the figure said softly, "but I doubt they would have been saved by anyone had you not learned the lessons you did before hand."

"Hm," was all Starscream could say to that; he folded his legs neatly, tapping a ped at the air, "You've been speaking to me less and less lately."

"I have had no reason to ask of your time," the mech chuckled, "You are basing your actions on things I have already told you to do. I have not needed to reiterate myself on lessons after you have learned them."

Starscream crossed his arms, grumbling, "It's still nice to be sure."

"Do you think I will be gone one cycle?"

The seeker's wings perked up and his optics widened in thought, "I… I don't know," he looked at his companion, "Will you? Will I wake up one morning and find it completely silent?"

"Would you prefer this?"

Starscream's form seemed to slump as he pouted, "No… I like having this… this partner in my helm letting me know I'm doing the right thing… And," he was getting personal, he knew he was, but the mysterious owner of the voice hadn't harmed him yet, "and most of those right things can help others and help me at the same time. It's so much easier knowing I can do something without worry of retaliation…"

The mech's smile seemed to glow, "You found that all on your own. Do you know that?"

The seeker smiled back slightly, "It's a good feeling."

"If you wish me to continue to shadow you, I know in my being that I can," the figure said, looking up into the lighting sky, "If you wish to do more to help, then I can guide you into the right direction to help you succeed."

Starscream himself began to beam, the world around him shaking lightly, "I think I would like that very much."

The world glowed white, the mech and gray figures of shallow detail beginning to disappear, "Then I will see to it that my input aides you further…"

ssssssssss

Starscream woke from his nap with a squeak, stretching as far as he could. Perhaps leaving himself on the floor hadn't been such a good idea… As he stood he felt his joints crack angrily and he himself scowled lightly, going to the door and leaving his room to help walk away the aching pain in his chassis.

Down the hall, the points of his peds clacked delicately on the quiet ship. It had to have been late. Not even the med bay was alive with noise.

The seeker spread his wings wide, walking towards the break room when he heard two voices speaking with one another.

"It's not that I'm upset about it, soldier," the first voice sighed, "It just feels like one moment I had it and then it was gone."

"If I may speak freely, sir," came the second.

"You may."

A small cough, "I don't think you should be too upset about it. Tough fights usually give you some tough outlooks on life…"

Starscream walked as quietly as he could to the break room door, peeking in to find Wheeljack and Ultra Magnus up late, sharing a conversation over a couple of cubes of energon.

"But that doesn't mean you let it own you. Take my scars for example," Wheeljack smiled, "They don't define me. They don't tell the world what kind of a mech I am. No one can look at this one here," he pointed to one, "and say 'He got that takin' a bullet for a friend'. Just like no one can look at your servo and say 'He lost that savin' the world'."

Ultra Magnus clenched the claw servo quietly, the white mech still speaking, "You gotta be the one to own the loss and not see it as one. You're no less of a mech without the one you had when you were sparked. I've lost some metal. Arcee has, Knockout has, I mean, look at Starscream! He's probably lost more metal than most of the mechs alive after all this! He's still standing, he's still happy with what he has and what he's doin'," Wheeljack smiled, "You're takin' the loss too hard, sir. Somethin' to do with all this free time not fightin' 'Cons?"

Ultra Magnus smiled sadly, "Perhaps," he clenched the claw servo tighter, "Things around here have been strenuous, but I've had more time to look at myself lately. Ratchet did a superb job with what he had," Starscream listened intently as he sighed, "I just wish he didn't have to rebuild me a servo in the first place…"

The seeker pursed in thought and slowly pulled himself away from the doorway to the room, going back down the hall to his berth room, "If you're there," he said quietly, "I have a new mission for myself…"

_Do you? Has this anything to do with Ultra Magnus and his predicament?_

Starscream smiled, "A bit," he mused, "but I do think what I have in mind will do little more than just give our new leader a new servo to work with…"

ssssssssss

**Hmm. Well, I know what I'M doing, but does anyone else want to wrestle up a few guesses? Be not afraid...**


	23. The Isolated Missing

**Finishing up my work for the convention, but I still have some more work to do. I will still be posting in pairs when I can. Huzzah. So sayeth my Starscream hat.**

ssssssssss

"I called you here for a reason," Starscream began, his servos folded neatly behind his back as he paced, "We're the only ones who can truly think in the mindset of one so cruel, one so logical. I've not considered this lightly by any means. If we are to succeed, it will take great cunning and stealth, even treachery, to obtain what we require-"

Knockout scoffed, servos on his hips, "Well, it would be nice if we knew what you were talking about."

"Quiet, I'm not finished yet!" the seeker snarled; he recomposed himself, his wings fluttering, "Now, as I was saying, we are the only ones capable of locating what we require-"

"Am I not supposed to be here?" Bumblebee inquired from his station at a communications console, "It sounds like you guys wanted a secret meeting area and couldn't find anywhere better than a public area."

Starscream growled, looking back at him, "Ignore us! Our discussions are not your concerns!"

The yellow mech shrugged, continuing his work, "Suit yourselves."

The seeker sighed, trying to find his place again, "All right… now that that's been dealt with… I require both of your services with a mission I will be leading-"

"Hey," Smokescreen smiled as he walked onto the command deck, "I'm going on an energon break, anyone want a cube?"

"Oh, for Primus' sake!" Starscream hollered, "I am trying to conduct important business here!"

The blue mech shrugged, "In a public place?"

Before Starscream could begin seething, Knockout placed a servo on his shoulder armor, "Look, just cut to the chase. We don't need a pep talk before you explain what you want."

Soundwave was sitting quietly at his workstation, watching. He too had been asked by Starscream for his attention, but couldn't leave his console in case something came through. Thusly, their secret 'meeting area' had been quite a lot less private than the seeker had wanted.

Starscream frowned at the both of them, "Fine, you want the end of my speech? I want to find Shockwave."

Smokescreen perked up, walking from Bumblebee to their little group, "A search party for the Cyclops? Count me in!"

The seeker shook his helm, "It's too risky with too many servos in this. I've asked Soundwave and Knockout for help because we're all former Decepticons, and as such, we have valuable insight into where Shockwave may have relocated."

"So?" Smokescreen pouted, "That doesn't mean I can't assist. I'm dying in here, I need to get out of communications duty already! I'd go scouting with Arcee, but that doesn't mean anything exciting will be going on. At least you guys are trying to make things interesting."

Knockout scoffed, "No way, count me O-U-T, out. You think I'm going to risk my recently buffed paint job to find that creep? Think of what he'll do to me!"

Starscream sneered, "He may glare at you a little, if that's what you mean. Are you afraid his gaze will suddenly make you paint peel?"

The red medic gasped, nearly jumping back, "Don't even say something like that!"

Soundwave lightly typed away at his console, seemingly disinterested in where the conversation was going. But the rest of them continued on strong.

"We need to locate Shockwave in order to first determine if he remains a threat, if anything," Starscream frowned, crossing his arms, "If he doesn't, we could ask that he join us and help us here. Not to mention we need to warn him about Megatron, if the crazy mech hasn't found him already."

"Why should we waste energon and miles on him?" Knockout retorted, "It's not like he'd do the same for us, that wouldn't be logical."

"But Starscream is right, it's the right thing to do," Smokescreen sided, "I may want to leave the base for my own reasons, sure, but this is the right cause to dedicate my time to."

Before Knockout could respond, Starscream covered his mouth with a servo, "And, my finely painted friend, I'm sure you would like to avoid another shift working with the Insecticons, am I right?"

The seeker didn't need to silence the medic; the comment was doing that for him quite nicely.

Starscream sighed, letting him go, "Look, the main reason I'm doing this is for something Shockwave has that we need. Especially if the future is heading into the direction it seems to be going. I settled on this decision a little while ago," he grumbled, "when I overheard Ultra Magnus pining over the loss of his servo."

Smokescreen hung his helm a little and Bumblebee stopped working all together. Both remembered how hard it was for the older mech, the struggles it took to regain movement in his new claw of a servo, the distance it brought him when he realized he couldn't have the same range, all the limitations it brought him. Even now, Magnus was managing, but there were still times where it felt like things were difficult for him.

"What exactly are you aiming to gain, Starscream?" Bumblebee asked softly, "I want to hear you say it."

The seeker's wings perked and then drooped. To him, at this moment, it still felt like he was trying to impress them all, even with all he had done so far. He was still trying to be self-serving by providing them with things to ensure his safety.

_That is not what you are aiming for at all._

Wasn't he? Wasn't that all they saw?

_Is that what you think they see? Is that what you hope they see? Or is that what you worry they see? You have been working so hard to elevate yourself and prove that you are a capable mech. And that you can be a trusted friend. You have no reason to fear what he asks from you. He simply wants to know that what he assumes on the inside is correct. He is not taking the assumption and keeping it as fact. He wants to hear it from you._

Starscream tapped his clawed digits together like a caught sparkling, nervous to speak.

_Answer. You are safe to._

"I," he said softly, "need to acquire the Cyber Matter formula from Shockwave."

Bumblebee didn't move at first. He simply stared for a moment until a smile formed on his faceplates.

"I think that's a very good reason to look for Shockwave," the yellow mech beamed.

"It is, I know it is," Starscream nodded, "but I don't want to give any false hopes to anyone. We could find Shockwave, sure, but that doesn't mean we can just get what we want from him."

Soundwave continued to type, the noise drowned out only when another mech would speak.

"I get it," Smokescreen sighed, "We all do, but you think you, Knockout and Soundwave are the only ones that cane handle this? It might make things easier for Shockwave if he knew what he would be giving the formula up for."

"And it would be nice to have some extra targets for him to aim at if things get crazy nasty," Knockout smirked, "We don't know how he'll react to being interrupted from his experiments."

Starscream glared at him, "No one is shooting anyone. Shockwave is a very logical being. Give him the right combination of words to satisfy his logic circuits and he won't dare fire upon us."

"Good. So when do we leave?" Smokescreen smiled.

The seeker now glared at him, "'We', and by that I mean, 'Soundwave, Knockout and I' will be leaving as soon as we can. I'll not be informing Ultra Magnus of our true intentions. But if he does ask, I could simply say we're going to be investigating the outskirts of the next city over. At least then he'll think we're helping Arcee with her scouting jobs."

Smokescreen began to sulk, but Knockout was the one who spoke up, "But if he guesses wrong, he'll think three ex-Cons are looking to escape at a moment's notice. Let Smokey come along. He'll enjoy it."

The blue mech looked hopefully and Starscream, who growled softly, "I'm getting the feeling that as soon as we try to head out, you'll follow us anyway."

"Isn't it better to have your permission than to find me later on lagging behind?" he asked hopefully.

The seeker rolled his optics, "Fine. But only so we don't mistake you for someone trying to sneak up on us," he leered over at Bumblebee, "Are you aiming to sneak off after us as well?"

The yellow mech smiled, typing away, "Me? Not at all. Smokescreen can keep you guys in line. Besides, with Soundwave gone, there would be no one else to keep an optic on these consoles. You four will be fine on your own. Two fliers and two vehiculars is a nice balance."

Starscream perked his wings high, huffing, "Well, at least someone is taking to my way of thinking…"

Soundwave finally stopped typing to look up from his console, a gesture of the servo to Starscream being his only form of communication as he called the seeker over.

"Yes, what?" Starscream inquired, coming to the silent mech's side.

Soundwave typed in a few commands more, then pointed, a map with a bright indicator beeping on the small screen. He tried to isolate the area for the seeker but the closer he focused in, the more altered the signal seemed to become before it fizzled out completely.

"Shockwave," Starscream smirked proudly, "He's about a half cycle's flight from here, two cities over."

Knockout groaned, "That's a long drive. Let's get Wheeljack in on this, at least he has a ship."

"No," Smokescreen frowned, "We shouldn't involve anyone else with the details of this. Yeah, it's being secretive, but for all the right reasons," he looked to Bumblebee, "You think you'll be able to keep them off our chassis' for a bit? At least until we can find something worth bringing back?"

The yellow mech nodded, "Sure, but not for too long. After two cycles, they're going to start asking some really hard questions. I won't be able to stop them from looking for you after that."

Starscream paced into the center of the room, servos folded behind his back, "That's all the time we'll need, I know it. Soundwave and I will act as liaisons," he pointed to Knockout at Smokescreen, "while the pair of you are our escorts."

"We need to plan this now?" Knockout whined.

Starscream glared, "Would you rather do so just before we see Shockwave?"

The red mech clamed up, so the seeker continued, "The both of us will work on Shockwave while you two hang back. Then I'll see if I can separate him from his workstation so that we can talk privately. While I do this, Soundwave will be in charge of hacking into his computers and taking the formula if he won't give it to us."

Knockout tapped his chin in thought, "Ooo, sneaky."

Smokescreen looked a little taken back by this, "Why can't we just trust he'll let us have it?"

Starscream frowned, "Because he simply won't. I hate to say that I know Shockwave the way I do. This insight assures me that should we ask his formula of him, he will not want to share it. If we're lucky, he'll give us a ready to use sample that we may be able to dissect and replicate on our own, but that's if he's trying to take the same turn as I am."

He paused, feeling the inner voice inside sigh sadly with him, "Not everyone is so ready to change to save themselves. And if Shockwave only sees isolation as his protector, I doubt we'll receive much more than a 'hello' before he closes the door on us…"

The room fell silence on the thought, letting it sink in.

_But let us hope that Shockwave will find it more logical and satisfying to keep the door open to allow others to aid him as you have done, Starscream…_

ssssssssss

**There. Be merry. Merry with songs. Of my Starscream hat.**


	24. The Isolated Found

**So, still writing for you guys, I suppose. Bring me my Transformers Prime game. I needs to play it.**

ssssssssss

Starscream scowled and landed, transforming just ahead, "You're both so slow! It's infuriating!"

Knockout and Smokescreen pulled up a few moments later, both transforming to meet him, "Oh, I'm sorry," the red mech huffed, flicking nonexistent dust off his chassis, "did I tell you it would've been faster with Wheeljack's ship?"

The seeker frowned at him as Soundwave came in to land next to him, "It would have looked too suspicious if we used his ship. This way it looks like we're not going very far…" he sighed, looking ahead, "Though we still have a bit of a ways to go…"

Smokescreen smiled, coming over to pat his shoulder, "It's fine, Screamer. If this is how you want to go about it, then it's what we'll do," he walked along ahead of him, the seeker's wings flaring up.

"I've told you all," he followed, "I've told you countless times, it's _Star_scream! Don't make me return the favor, _Smokey_."

But the blue mech only laughed and continued walking ahead, keeping his optics open in case he were to spot something. Soundwave and Knockout were walking a steady pace behind the pair, doing the same.

The group had traveled quite a distance to the city they were now walking towards. Before their journey, Starscream had made sure to leave strict instructions for Bumblebee to not to disclose their real coordinates unless he received an emergency call for help. The yellow mech had been kind about the whole situation, too. Something Starscream was surprised and pleased by. The remembrance of it made him smile.

_He listened to you out of respect, Starscream._

This was true. He was doing something daring and difficult. He hadn't needed to threaten the scout or instill fear in him to get what he wanted from him. He only needed to ask. He had only needed to ask… and he did it…

This made Starscream smile a bit more. It was easier asking for something, wasn't it? Making up threats, being angry… just seemed so much more draining.

_And it keeps you from becoming so stressed. You are very much more at ease, are you not?_

He was. Even though this journey had been long, he had enjoyed it much more than he thought he would. Despite the four wheelers slowing them down.

"See something we don't?" Smokescreen suddenly asked.

Starscream's optics flickered as he looked about, realizing he'd been smiling and staring ahead at the city that was only a couple miles away; he coughed, "What? Nothing," he walked passed the blue mech, gaining a little distance, "Stop looking for things that aren't there. Keep focused, we're making good time. If all goes well, we'll be back for they even realize we went missing," he said quickly.

Smokescreen shrugged and followed along, "Whatever you say, _Screamer_."

The seeker frowned back at him, still keeping ahead, "I do say, _Smokey_."

Knockout chuckled from his place at the back, "Aww, you two are like fighting little brothers. Don't make Soundwave and I put you in time out."

"The only one who will be put in 'time out' will be you if you don't pay attention," Starscream glared, "We need to be alert now…"

The group kept walking quietly after that, their pedfalls the only sounds echoing into the distance as they gained ever closer to the city and then finally entered its first city block.

"Now," Starscream whispered softly, "comes the difficult part…"

Smokescreen stepped up to his side, looking around carefully, "Well, is there any way we can narrow our search? I'm sure we can look for a few things, right?"

The seeker nodded, huddling the group together, "When I was helping Shockwave in his labs, I noticed very quickly that we moved from labs that he had already prepared to ones that we needed to build up from scrap. I'm doubting immensely that his other labs here survived the tremors Cybertron went through."

"So, what are we looking for then?" Knockout asked.

Starscream thought about it carefully before answering, "Quite a bit of space," he began, "He wanted immediate access to any sort of power plants and energy sources to keep his work going. Somewhere isolated. Sometimes, the only way to get in was to fly in after he had destroyed the roads that connected him to the outer world. We need to pinpoint where he would be gather resources. Now that he's on his own, he'll have to make do with what he can gather at one time," the seeker shook his helm, "And with his alt. mode, it won't be a lot, so it will have to be close by."

"If I might make a suggestion?" Smokescreen said softly.

The group looked to him as he spoke, "Soundwave's the quietest flier here. Why not let him do a basic sweep of the city and let him pick out the best locations. It'll take some time to wait for him, but it'll definitely be easier than looking all over the place."

Knockout nodded, "I agree. Up to it, Soundwave?"

The silent mech bowed his helm only once as a nod, then pulled away from the huddle to transform and speed off, Laserbeak breaking away from his chassis and the two going separate ways.

Smokescreen shrugged a bit, "Flying is pretty awesome. But I'll take the hard pavement any day."

Knockout smirked and lead him to place where they could sit down, chuckling, "You said it, Smokey."

Starscream remained where he was for a moment, looking at where Soundwave had flown off to. After a few kliks he pulled his gaze away and joined the pair as they sat amongst some rubble, allowing a sense of calm to overtake him as he listened to their light chatter.

ssssssssss

Laserbeak was the first to arrive back, landing on Starscream as though the mech were a very small landing strip. The seeker didn't appreciate the gesture much, but soon enough Soundwave returned to collect the little symbiot, reattaching the mech to his chassis with a satisfying 'click'.

"Well?" Smokescreen asked excitedly, "What did you find?"

Soundwave silently pointed down the main road and began walking. This, it appeared, was the first part of the upcoming journey.

Starscream walked beside the silent mech, stretching a bit, "How far ahead is it?"

Soundwave brought up a map on his screen for a brief moment, showing the seeker they still had a few blocks before their first left turn. It was then quite a bit of time before they would make a right, it seemed.

Starscream simply nodded, hmming, "Not too bad then. We'll at least be there before nightfall."

"That's a relief," Knockout yawned, "I was afraid I would die of boredom. At least Shockwave will have a place I can lay down on first."

Starscream scoffed at the thought, but said nothing. He felt the red medic's gaze upon him and proceeded to ignore it, but after their first turn left down a smaller street, Knockout began pestering him.

"Well? Care to explain?"

The seeker only shook his helm, smirking, "What makes you think he has a place to rest, let alone recharge? This _is_ Shockwave, you know. And I _did_ have to work alongside him for quite some time. I was the one who needed recharge. Most of the time I would awake to find him still working."

Knockout groaned softly, the possibility of a break looking farther ahead than he thought.

But Smokescreen seemed as upbeat as usual, "You watched him work most of the time, right?"  
Starscream nodded, "I did. And I'll admit readily that I do know small portions of this Cyber Matter formula we need after having seen the sequence so many times. But in the wrong order and with so few figures to work from, I doubt it would help Ratchet recreate it. And worse case scenario would be an explosion of sorts. Those are things we simply do not need…"

The blue mech smiled a little, "Rather have it all and right than only some, huh?"

"It's just easier," the seeker answered.

The rubble beneath their peds began to run smoother the further along the walked and after some time and their second turn, this time to the right, Starscream was able to distinguish the track marks from Shockwave's alt. mode.

"We're close now," he whispered, slowing his pace, "Keep a look out. We need to approach with caution…"

Smokescreen transformed a servo into his blaster while Knockout noticeably held back behind the blue mech. Starscream and Soundwave were the only ones to continue as they had, just listening and watching as they continued to walk slowly.

And the city around them remained as dead as it felt as they pressed one. Despite all the small signs of Shockwave having been there, despite all the little tracks and damages done to the road, it still felt abandoned and gone and dead. Even though the group knew they could be being watched.

_He is near, you know._

This Starscream did know. He had expected as much from the scientist.

_I do not know his intentions, as he does not know yours, but he is close._

Would Shockwave strike if he felt he needed to? Before or after the group had made their objectives known?  
_You have said time and time again; Shockwave is a very logical being. If he strikes you now, especially with Smokescreen in your presence, he could expect retaliation from the Autobots._

Shockwave was a logical being, but he was sometimes quite unpredictable. This made him dangerous. Everything he did was calculating, but there was no reading his mind to see if he meant harm or not. Starscream hated working with him; before and after the incident with Arcee and Cliffjumper. He was never pleasant.

Starscream felt a small tug on his arm as he was gently stopped and pulled back. Soundwave's digits increased their pressure only slightly as he pointed ahead at the mostly blocked opening to an old building, collapsed and seemingly useless. Just enough trickle of light exiting through the cracks of the door at the front told the group they had found the lab. But the light inside didn't mean Shockwave was inside at the moment or not.

Smokescreen leaned in, whispering the Starscream, "What should we do?"

The seeker was afraid to answer. Unpredictable, calculating, logical, all these things made up the mech they were currently trying to create an audience with. Now this seemed like the worst idea he had ever put into action.

_He has not fired upon you yet. That should give you some solace._

Starscream laughed slightly, the noise coming out like a soft sigh, "He's just as curious as we are…"

Smokescreen's optics flickered, "Sorry?"

The seeker sighed now, shaking his helm, "Ah, nothing, um… Allow me to address him first. After I explain what we're doing here, I'll ask that he invite the rest of you in."

The group said nothing against his decision, so Starscream took his first few steps. These were rendered useless when red plasma fire at his peds shoved him back into Knockout, the towering figure of purple and the beating red of a single optic suddenly before them. As the dust settled around them, Shockwave stood over the group, his gun aimed to take a fatal shot if they so moved.

"Why are you here?" he boomed.

It was all that he asked. No additives, just straight to the point.

_You expected this. Unpredictable, calculating, logical. Be the same. Be as he is._

Starscream frowned as he pulled himself up, Smokescreen helping Knockout to his peds.

The seeker glared the giant mech down and took a single step forward, servos folded neatly behind his back, "We only came to converse with you due to events as of late. Our presence here is not to harm or threaten you, but to inform and warn you of new dangers that have arisen. If this seems an unsatisfactory reason to meet with you at a sudden notice, then you are well within your right to fire upon us again."

_Unpredictable, calculating, logical._

Shockwave stared the smaller mech down, his blaster having not yet moved, "Your argument is…"

The mechs behind Starscream braced themselves, expecting the worst.

"Logical," the purple mech hmmed, relinquishing his blaster to his side; he moved away slightly, gesturing to the light of his labs, "I would prefer we speak inside. Too many variables that end in fatality could disrupt our conversation…"

The group didn't need to be told twice. They themselves knew what lied beyond letting their guards down for even a moment. After all had made their way inside, Shockwave pulled a large slab of metal over the opening to his own little haven, blocking the outside world from coming in.

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**I'll post again when I can. Comikaze 2013. I'll be there with a booth. Awesome.**


	25. Secret Given

**Let's see how much I can post in the next couple days... Comikaze 2013 starts Friday. If you're going, I'll be selling STARSCREAM HATS once a day, as I only have 3 to sell. Mention 'Redeem the Stars' to ensure I sell it to you.**

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The base Shockwave had built for himself was an impressive one to behold. Considering he'd had limited help and resources, Starscream was surprised he had much of a laboratory to work with at all. Large computer screens were the main source of light for the large, one-room remains of a building Shockwave was calling home. Computer consoles and towers were all over the place, storing data and cycling information Shockwave had been processing before the group had arrived.

The large purple mech strode over to a small distillery, pouring himself a cube of energon, "You'll have to pardon me for a moment," he rumbled, "but I was not aware I would be receiving company this evening," he set the cube aside once it was full, "I will enjoy my refuel once business here has been finished."

Starscream cleared his throat lightly, "Yes, my apologies. We were not sure how to contact you once we became privy to your newest location. You don't exactly lay out the welcoming frequency."

"As I should not," Shockwave retorted sharply, "My work is highly sensitive and vulnerable. And the Predacons have not been kind as of late. They found my last base and burned it to the ground."

The seeker's wings drooped, "Ah… Again, my apologies."

Shockwave turned to his computers, tending to them lightly, "If your condolences could fix what they destroyed, I would accept them. But as they do not and you were not there for the event, I cannot."

Starscream only nodded slightly, pulled back from his small talk when Knockout lightly tugged at his arm, whispering, "Wrap this up, we have a long journey back…"

The seeker rolled his optics but sighed, stepping forward, "Shockwave? We did come to discuss with you some very important matters," the purple mech paused in his work, "If we might have a moment of your time when you are not working…?"

Shockwave turned to meet his gaze, his single optic boring into him, "My work is sensitive, Starscream. Speak while I tend to my machines. I am always working," he turned back, "You'll not find me at ease any time soon."

Starscream glared, tugging the purple mech's arm to spin him back around, "No, we need to see this optic to optic and face to face, because what I am about to tell you and ask of you needs that sort of contact."

Shockwave only stared down, hmming, "Your vocal tones share a hint of urgency," after a klik of thought he nodded, "Your argument is logical," he rolled a chair from the side of a computer console, sitting heavily, "Please proceed…"

Starscream's wings fluttered; that had been easier than he expected, "Well, as you know, the Autobots have been reconstructing Cybertron," Shockwave remained attentive, so he continued, "Things have been running smoothly, but my…"

"Addition," Smokescreen whispered.

"My _addition_," Starscream glared back him lightly, "to their ranks has given me a new lease on everything."

Shockwave sat back in his chair, "Starscream, I understand you are… excited to speak of your new life, but how does this affect me?"

The seeker was getting nervous, but he pressed on, "Because even though I am making changes, it seems I am still under attack from an old enemy," he growled a little, "Megatron."

Shockwave sat up straighter, his optic focusing on him, "… Please, proceed…"  
That seemed to have gotten his attention; Starscream crossed his arms, "I left the Autobots a short time ago to reevaluate my options and was found by Megatron. Prime sealed away Unicron in some sort of unbreakable energy absorbing pod, thus freeing our former leader. He's somehow forged it in his processor that myself, Knockout, Soundwave and you are all enemies of Cybertron and that we need to be eliminated."

Shockwave stared the smaller mech down, not speaking.

"He thinks I am the greatest symbol of his tyranny and oppression and believes killing me will stop another tyrant from trying to rule Cybertron," Starscream huffed, "and that the three of you are only diluted versions of me that could also very well try and harm Cybertron."

The purple mech stood slowly, turning to his computers, "His thoughts are illogical, he cannot predict future actions of another simply by what he himself has done."

"You think we don't know that?" Knockout scoffed, "Doesn't exactly matter, does it? He still threatened us."

"But Starscream," Smokescreen piped up, "you said you buried him under a building. That you exploded the base and it came crashing down."

Starscream sighed, "Believe me when I say Megatron has survived much worse. Most of the building was a scrap heap. With my bad luck and his good luck it probably formed a nice little shack around him that he could have simply walked out of…"

Shockwave rumbled from his screen, "Your need to be skeptic is not necessary, but of value, Starscream. Megatron has not been known to be an easy victory to overcome. While I have never been a target for Megatron's anger, I can see this does not bode well for my safety."

"And why we have come to see you now," the seeker nodded, "There are very few of us left rebuilding this world. What I am to ask of you now is a little more sensitive."

Shockwave had only begun settling his digits on the computer keyboard when he froze, "… No," he rumbled deeply, firmly.

Starscream's wings perked, "No? No, no, what? I haven't even been given the chance to ask yet."

"Your tone, your urgency, your seeking of my person tells me the question already," Shockwave huffed, turning back to him, "You wish to ask for my assistance, whether in person or formulaic, to help rebuild Cybertron."

The seeker smiled nervously, gulping only slightly, "And… is that nonnegotiable?"

The rest of the group braced themselves slowly, tensing as the giant mech paused to think, "For this instance? Yes. Your guess is correct," he settled a servo over his computer's keyboard again, "My formula is mine to work with, and my services are too rash for a world this torn. It is neither ready for my servos to heal it, nor am I ready to do so."

Smokescreen looked up at him sadly, "So, you're just going to stay here? You're not going to help us?"

Shockwave's optic brightened, flickered, "It would be illogical for me to aid you at this time."

_Starscream. 'At this time'._

The seeker took a step forward, "But you will? Should we extend the offer, should we hold our servos out to you, you will join us when you are ready?"

Shockwave stared down at the smaller mech, turning his back on him to type, "You are not the only one attempting change, Starscream. But my transition is proving difficult. To rebuild this world, I would first have to destroy many of the things I created upon it. My pieces are parts of me, my legacy, my advances in science, that I am not yet ready to put behind me. I am letting go, piece by piece, weapon by weapon, structure by structure, and code by code, and it is a very slow process. But its necessity is logical to the survival of our planet. Peace time needs no pains."

Starscream watched him sadly, settling a servo on his arm, "You and Megatron are suffering something similar, though you are not as consumed as he is. You only see fixing this world by demolishing what is no longer accepted or needed. What is so wrong in seeing repurpose?"

Shockwave glanced down at him as he spoke, "A sentry's tower is a seeker's perch, you know. Take away the mechanisms that make it a weapon and it simply becomes a tower. You don't have to destroy what you created to heal this world."

"They are landmarks to what this world suffered, what we all suffered," Shockwave hmmed.

_Are they?_

Starscream smiled a little, "Are they? Or would repurposing them make them landmarks of renewal after the storm?" the purple mech didn't respond, so the seeker simply patted his arm and pulled away, "I'll let you think it over…" he glanced at Soundwave, rubbing his servos behind his back rhythmically as he cleared his throat and turned back to the scientist, "but for now, I would gladly give you our hailing frequencies, location, and status reports to further your own self healing. For when you are ready to move on."

Shockwave stood tall, turning back to the group, "I will take the information you are willing to give me," Starscream smiled and made a gesture to another room they could talk in, but the purple mech still rumbled, "if Soundwave has it available and ready for me."

The seeker froze. They needed Soundwave to get the missing pieces of the formula. He was no good talking to Shockwave in another room. The plan was already going awry.

But Starscream brought back his faltering smile. He put his arm down and stepped aside to allow Soundwave to pass.

"Sure," he said softly, "Soundwave has everything you need."

The silent blue mech didn't move as quickly as the seeker had hoped, but he walked passed him, going into the other room, and Shockwave following behind him.

"Scrap," Starscream hissed, "just… scrap."

Knockout trembled, "What do we do?"

Smokescreen watched the two 'Wave's shadows from the other room, far enough away, but too close for comfort, "We won't have much time for anything."

"Then we improvise," Starscream hissed, putting himself at the controls and typing madly, "I spaced out enough times watching him work when he didn't need me to collect remains. I know the sequences, I just have to…" he slowed down, his typing becoming strangely rhythmic as he remembered Shockwave typing it in, over and over all those times, "I just have to…"

He focused intently. He only needed a short amount of time. Knockout watched him type, silently screaming in terror and excitement as the seeker worked, then squeezed his shoulder tightly when the formula popped up on the screen, as though it was always meant to be.

Smokescreen had to clap a servo over the red medic's mouth before he could cheer, and Starscream stared up at the formula as hard as he could, boring it into the very crevices of his mind and being so he would remember.

"I've got it…"

_Very well done. Now move away before you are caught._

The seeker stepped back and sighed, standing near the pair as Soundwave and Shockwave made their way back into the room.

"I have been given your coordinates," Shockwave rumbled, "And your status reports look promising. I will hail your frequencies once I am ready. But for now, I must continue my work."

Starscream nodded, accepting Soundwave back to the group as he walked passed, "Then we shall take our leave for now. Should you need anything, don't hesitate to inform us."

"I will," was the simple response.

The group shuffled out of the base, slipping out from the narrow space left by the metal slab Shockwave used as a door. As they left, the purple mech sat heavily in his chair and turned back to his computer, staring up at the formula in silence.

He reached out a servo and closed the sequence, then picked up the energon cube he'd set aside earlier, "Use it well, Starscream. I know your reasons will be… logical."

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**Aren't Starscream's reasons always logical? No. That's why Shockwave says so with hesitation.**


	26. A Secret Shared

**Reminding peeps going to COMIKAZE 2013: if you find my booth and mention REDEEM THE STARS, you will have the option of purchasing 1 of 3 STARSCREAM HATS I currently have in my possession. These are handmade, tricked out beanies that look the top of Starscream's helm. Booth info at the bottom of this chapter.**

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The group was making their way back slowly, Smokescreen and Knockout gliding back and forth across the expanse of open space, racing each other. Soundwave was performing his own little fluctuations in flight every once in a while in celebration; a turn here, a dive there, all very silently of course. Starscream was the only one flying slowly and at a pace, seemingly dissatisfied.

He was deep in thought, concern for Shockwave's life perhaps?

_He will be fine, if you truly are concerned about his well being._

Starscream scowled and pressed on ahead. Shockwave could take care of himself, the logical brute. He was strong enough, cunning enough, and of course logical enough, if something were to happen.

_You see the hard worker he is, as you once were and still are. And yet Megatron still aims to punish him. As he used to punish you. Know that Shockwave is ready for it should the time come to fight because you yourself came to warn him. This is not one you need to save yourself; this is one you must allow to fight on his own._

Starscream pushed his engine, speeding up. He was also worried about Megatron. If he was even still alive. He was like that, you know. One moment you thought he was down, done for, lost to battle, and the next he was up and ripping your arm off. Unicron's physical upgrades didn't exactly hurt the gargantuan mech's position.

_If he still lives, then so will you. I am still here and now you have others to aid you. You were never alone in this, Starscream, no matter how much it felt as though you were._

It was something reiterated over and over, but he enjoyed hearing it. Being alone made Starscream feel…

_Feel…?_

Like no one even needed him.

_Here they need you._

Starscream scanned below him, observing Smokescreen and Knockout race and Soundwave's little aerial maneuvers.

_You are finding your place now. Regret nothing you've done, when you've been alone or otherwise. Now you are needed. Now you are safe. Now you are making yourself into a strong mech. It has taken much time, Starscream, but you are the one accomplishing it._

So he was. Knowing this made him fly a little easier.

And just on the horizon was the Nemesis, forever docked near the edge of the Well of Allsparks.

Knockout was the first to slow, sending a COMM to his three companions, "So, how are we going to sneak back in? I don't think Ultra Magnus is going to be too pleased we left without proper this and that and the like."

Scrap, he'd forgotten about that.

_Consequence for leaving on such a mission. I cannot condone how you went about doing it, but I am proud of what it is to aid._

The group found themselves slowly, when another COMM broke through, "And he isn't happy," she smirked.

Double scrap, caught in the act of returning.

Arcee's vehicle mode sped alongside them, revving her engine as she continued the COMM, "He had me stop scouting a few joors ago to go find you. Care to tell me where the four of you went off to?"

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"Well?" Ultra Magnus said sternly, "Do you?"

He paced in front of the four of them, servos at his back as he chastised the group on the command deck, "Bumblebee claims not to know where the four of you went off to. I think otherwise. He'll only tell me you left to explore the next city over," a glare formed on his faceplates, "This I highly doubt."

The group kept silent, letting Magnus continue talking. All of them looked guilty, all of them felt guilty, some for being caught, some for the chastising they were receiving. Knockout kept scuffing the floor lightly with his ped. He truly looked like a sparkling.

Ultra Magnus stopped pacing in front of them, "Fine, if none of you want to explain yourselves…"

"We did go off by ourselves, sir, but we knew exactly what we were doing," Smokescreen suddenly piped up, "We were looking for something-"

"And when we found it we came back to base, what else did we need to do?" Knockout whined; he was trying to save face as well.

The large blue mech kept his glare, "Both of you go down to the lower deck. Bulkhead will be returning soon with the Vehicons, Eradicons and Insecticons. You'll be in charge of ensuring the Insecticons have their paints detailed and cleaned."

Knockout appeared as though he was going to burst into tears, but before he could start blubbering Smokescreen led him out of the room.

Ultra Magnus turned to Soundwave, "I understand you're not likely to try this again. Return to your station and continue monitoring signals."

Soundwave lightly nodded his helm, turning back to sit at his chair.

"Starscream-" Magnus turned to begin his lecture to the seeker, but found only empty space.

Starscream had snuck away some time ago…

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_That was not kind to leave like that. You should have at least stayed until he was through._

"And yet, I didn't want to," Starscream grumbled softly, "I didn't need to, I've been reprimanded before."

He turned down the hall way, walking as quietly as he could, "And I've been punished for doing much more despicable things. My kindness is bringing Ratchet this formula now while it is still fresh in my mind."

_If you say so._

"I do say so."

Fighting to prove his point was becoming tiresome, but at least he wasn't being hurt for it now. The seeker came upon the med bay doors and knocked before entering, peeking about the room.

"Hello?" he called sweetly, "Is the doctor in?"

Ratchet huffed from behind on the of the computer consoles, busying fixing something, "I'm never out. Ultra Magnus is looking for you, you know. You've been gone almost two whole cycles!"

Starscream walked in, going over to a working console and activating it, "We were already found and already wagged a digit at, but I came down here a little early to give you something, doctor."

"Oh?" the medic poked his helm out, glaring suspiciously at the seeker, "And what do I have the honor of receiving?"

Starscream flexed his digits and concentrated, remembering the sequence. He said nothing as he typed, slowly at first them faster as he became more comfortable with the controls. It was as though he were recreating a masterpiece and as Ratchet focused on what he was typing and the sequence began to take shape, he gasped.

"The formula… the Cyber Matter formula, _Shockwave's_ formula," the medic squeaked out, "How did… when did you…?"

The seeker smirked, leaning back a bit to relax, "We left almost two whole cycles ago, doctor, why do you think we did it? And why would we tell anyone? To get their hopes up only to come back empty handed? No, we wanted to be sure we had it before we told anyone else," he saved the formula in the archives, moving away so Ratchet could study it, "And now you're the first to have it."

Ratchet reached out and touched to screen, taking in the equations with wide optics, "Starscream… you have no idea how much we needed this, how much we can do with this. We could fix everything with this."

"I know. That's why I brought it to you," the seeker mused, "Might I suggest we start with a patient currently hindered by the lack of a functioning right servo?"

The old medic glared at Starscream, but smiled, "I take it as both an insult and a compliment," he chuckled, sitting down, "But only because I am the one who is going to fix it."

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Starscream wandered the halls again. Now that the formula was delivered, there wasn't much else for him to do at the moment. He could find Soundwave and find out what punishment they'd all received but at the moment he liked being on his own. The silence was a treat.

_Then should I remain quiet for the time being?_

This was the only exception.

_Thank you for that then._

What if he were to seek Ultra Magnus instead?

_Would you do well to find him and tell him your true intentions for your mission?_

Wouldn't that be kinder to tell him why?

_Some need not know why. Some do. You went out to find Shockwave. That was your mission. I would suggest you allow Ratchet to relay the finer details to Ultra Magnus when the time comes. He still needs to work with the formula._

And this is kinder?

_For now, yes._

Wasn't it being sneaky again? Starscream thought it felt sneaky.

_You are not lying and you are not omitting. You are simply waiting for the right time. If the formula does not work in the servos of Ratchet, then Ultra Magnus' hopes would be for not._

This was Ratchet they were talking about. He could fix anything.

_True. But if you do mention the formula, tell him to talk to Ratchet about it first so he will be provided with medical facts versus what you know._

Starscream smirked. He was sure the voice meant 'what you think you know'.

_I do, but I did not say that. You did._

Yes, Starscream did.

Heavy pedfalls in front of him told him he wouldn't have to go far to find Ultra Magnus. He followed the sound and came up behind the large mech, clearing his voice softly so he could earn the other's attention.

Magnus turned around, glaring slightly, "There you are. I've been looking for you."

Starscream tapped his digits together nervously, "Y-yes, I'm sure you were. As well as an explanation unless the others have already done so?"

"I'm looking for that, too," Ultra Magnus rumbled, standing tall, "So if you would so kindly explain your absence I can finish what I started."

The seeker sighed; he hated punishments, "Well, I convinced Soundwave and Knockout to come with me to find Shockwave," he said softly, "Smokescreen overheard and said he'd come with us to make sure we wouldn't get into trouble…"

Ultra Magnus stared him down, making him feel small, "Go on."

Another long sigh, another nervous tap of the digits, "Well, we found him. He's not far from here. He says he can't join us yet, that he's still making preparations, but that when he is ready to do so he will join our cause to rebuild."

The large blue mech frowned, "And you couldn't tell me this, Starscream? You couldn't inform me of your absence with a credible reason, tell me you were recruiting my mechs to help you or notify me that it involved a former Decepticon? You decided I was best left in the dark on this situation?"

Starscream gulped, nodding a little, "Yes, well, no, it's complicated, we left to find Shockwave, but I wanted to get something from him so that we could continue work here-"

"Really? And what was that?"

_You only didn't inform him of the situation. You did nothing treasonous or wrong. You are fine._

The seeker lightly pointed back down the hallway, "It's with Ratchet right now. I'd rather he explain and give you the proper information than fill you with false hopes…"

Ultra Magnus glared darkly then felt his optics widen with realization.

Starscream held up his right servo, wiggling the digits, "I've felt incomplete before. It's unpleasant. Ratchet did what he could with what he had. He's doing so again with what he has now…"

Magnus frowned again, in thought, but Starscream didn't move; he hadn't been dismissed.

"Starscream," he finally rumbled, "I am very disappointed in you," he had expected this, "You left not only without telling me, but with three others who could have been harmed. Shockwave could have done something, or you could have been found by the Predacons, even Megatron. I cannot say I'm pleased about this."

The seeker hung his helm a little bit and looked away, his wings low. His gaze perked back up when he felt Ultra Magnus set a servo on his shoulder.

"But like a good mech, you told me what happened after everything had been settled, and you brought them all back safely," he smiled lightly, "and for that, I'm very pleased," he pulled away, recomposing himself with his servos at his back, "I'll take my leave of you for now, but our discussion isn't through yet. At this time, I think I need to speak to our resident chief of medicine about his new findings," he walked passed Starscream, his heavy pedfalls a bit lighter.

And Starscream smiled too, watching him go, "I do think that is a very excellent idea… sir."

_And I'm very pleased too, Starscream._

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**Booth is right down the middle, AA825, nearer to the back, up by the stage.** **I only made 3 Starscream hats to sell. One is a prototype and another was supposed to be for Mr. Blum, should he want it. I've tweeted the picture of the prototype hat, should you want to see it. _twitter . c o m haleyromangore/status/395285541748367360_ Take out the spaces.  
**


	27. On the Screen

**So, none of you came to my booth. That's fine. So sayeth the Starscream hats. I'm making an etsy. Pokemon's cool.**

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"File duty," he snarled, almost scoffed, "Fragging file fragging duty! This is even worse than paint detailing on Insecticons!"

Starscream heaved another large metal box of data pads onto the desk he was working at, scanning the top of the contents absentmindedly as he looked about the old room.

_Could this be worse?_

The seeker rolled his optics, scooping up a file to examine, "Everything has the potential to get worse, but this is bad for me. No excitement, no sense of accomplishment. I'll suffocate before the first box is emptied…" he looked about the room and at all the large stacks of boxes that still awaited his attention; he pouted, "Which shouldn't take long by the looks of things…"

_You take all of this so negatively._

Starscream picked up another handful of discarded files off the floor, grumbling angrily to himself.

_This is Ultra Magnus' form of punishment for you, but would you rather have found yourself a patient in the med bay? Or even cast out?_

The seeker froze for only a moment before continuing his work, "Fine, so this isn't terribly bad, but that big blue mech knows this sort of work could have been left to a drone. The fact that he leaves me to it insults me immensely."

_Take it in stride, Starscream. See the positive in the situation instead of all the negativity you think it deserves._

"Oh? And where are the sunshine, rainbows and smiles under all these heaps of forgotten files and dust layers?"

_The knowledge that is now set at your disposal._

Yes, this was true.

Starscream was currently serving punishment in the old stockroom of a forgotten library, not very far at all from where Wheeljack and Bulkhead were currently rebuilding. Ultra Magnus didn't think to give the seeker an escort or guard while he stayed in the building to complete his task; he was trusting him to stay this time. And Starscream wanted to prove him right in any case. He had nowhere to go and too much risk should he try to walk away from it all anyway. It would not have served him well.

_No, it would not. Thank you for staying here. I am very glad to see that you have decided it best to remain in their company._

Starscream snorted, turning on a data pad and sitting down, "Yes, well, what else do I have? If the Predacons find out I'm still functioning, they may find the need to adjust my current status. And Megatron certainly isn't something I need gamble with, he's much too strong for me."

_You outsmarted and bested him all on your own, Starscream._

Red optics paused in their task of reading to glare up at nothing, "Don't lie to me and fill my helm with hot air. You told me how to escape that situation-"

_I gave you suggestions and guided you through when you accepted them. You could have just as easily ignored me. But you trusted my want to help you and you trusted I would do it all safely. You are here now because of you. My involvement was only enough to get you moving._

Put that way, it did make the seeker feel as though he'd done all the work. But he shook his helm and continued reading, knowing that fact to be untrue.

"Don't flatter me," he sighed, putting his peds up on the desk, "When I do something far grander than listening to you, then I will expect high praises and rewards to be given to me. For now…" he looked around again, simply frowning, "I must survive this horrendously simplistic and difficult task."

_And you will. If nothing else, what you read may serve you later on. Forgotten files to others may lead to your advantage._

Starscream chuckled, "Oh, yes, of course, lets find an ancient text on the art of swift fighting and hope no one else has studied it so that I may have the element of surprise. I should be so lucky."

_You should. You never know. You have made it this far, have you not?_

"Not for nothing," the seeker grumbled, "It mostly cost my dignity and self respect."

_You dwell so much. I once told you to let all of it go and regret nothing in your past. All of that is gone and behind you, behind them all. What you have now is the ability to brighten your future. You are doing an admirable job._

Starscream smiled to himself softly and offlined his optics, sighing as he let his mind clear. The silence in the room greeted him and his felt his wings twitch at the loneliness. When he looked around again, he whispered quietly.

"What are you?"

There was no response at first. This scared Starscream. But after a few moments he heard it, the voice, respond.

_I am who you need me to be, Starscream. You have asked this before. I am at your disposal, should you heed my advice or not. I am whoever you need me to be._

The seeker stood up quickly, looking around the room, "I know, I know, you're here all for me, something about me calling to you, but Primus be slagged, that answer isn't as satisfying as you make it seem."

_I make you uneasy._

Starscream snorted, "Yes! You do!" he picked up more data files off the floor, "And as much as a part of me wants to trust this is all for no other reason than what you say, another part tells me to find out who you are or what you are and guard myself against you!"

_What brings this up now? What have I done to upset you so much?_

"The matter has been pressing at the back of my processor for some time now," Starscream growled, "Whether you're real or not, whether you're not a figment of my fragmented state of mind."

_You believe yourself damaged?_

The seeker crossed his arms angrily, "I'm talking back to a voice that only has form in my dreams and even then will not reveal who he is. No one else can hear this voice as far as I know, so it is left to me to acknowledge it."

_You are right to be upset, Starscream. But do not find the fault in yourself; I am not ready to give you everything. Just as you are learning to find trust in me, I am waiting for the right time to trust you with what I know, what I can teach you._

Starscream looked about the room uneasily, wishing the voice had a form he could focus on. He didn't like invisible entities in any sense, nice or not.

_When the time comes, I will meet you in my truest form. This I promise you. There has never been a trick in anything I have told you. I have never had a second motive for the actions I suggested to you. And when we are ready, when we are both ready, I will lift the last of the fog and trust you to do what you think is right, Starscream._

The seeker froze, taking the comment in.

_I will leave what you will witness in your servos to do with as you wish. And I will accept whatever you decide readily._

Starscream leaned back on the desk and grumbled, his optic ridges frowning. Now he felt like an idiot for getting so angry.

_Do not feel like this. You have every right to be angry. I do not lie, but I do not give you all that you believe you need to know. Do not dwell._

The gray mech sighed, sitting up straighter, "And don't assume. Rules, rules, rules."

He picked at a datapad as the voice piped up again.

_You choose to use them. They are rules to you, yet only suggestions to me. Do they make situations easier?_

Starscream shrugged, reading words but not taking them in, "They do. And I do appreciate it."

_You will feel more at ease once you have completed this task. Might I suggest organization by content and then by author-_

"Oh, holy Primus!" Starscream suddenly squealed, grabbing the side of the desk for support when he felt his leg slip.

He read and reread the datapad in his servo a few more times before speaking again, "This, this is-"

_Calm down and tell me what you have discovered._

Starscream held up the datapad as though he were showing someone; though the action was useless, it made him feel as though someone were there in form, "It's ancient text, not original, but preserved from some of the earliest records I've ever encountered!"

_What does it say?_

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Arcee's optics lit up as Starscream held up the datapad before the group, handing it off to Soundwave for inspection, "Are you sure? This isn't some corrupted file or… just some story?"

Starscream smiled largely, "I found it in a library that had otherwise been left untouched. These records, all the records, must have been thrown in for safekeeping before it was sealed up," the datapad made its way to Ratchet, who inspected it as well, "And it's not the only one. There are quite a few more detailing the sub cities. Maps, tunnels, everything. All forgotten and lost."

Bulkhead glanced at the datapad, but passed it along to Wheeljack, who rolled his optics, "Big whoop, Screamer, any scout or spy could tell you about the sub cities front and back. What do these have to do with anything?"

Starscream glared a little, pointing at the datapad, "That one, and most of the other ones, talk about the under city of the Sea of Rust."

The white wrecker snorted, "There is no city under the Sea of Rust!"

"Exactly," the seeker smirked.

After a moment, Wheeljack frowned and looked the file over more carefully.

Ratchet took another file from the box Starscream had brought back to the Nemesis with him, looking them all over as he trembled in excitement, "Ancient cities lost to the continuation of our technological expansion has always been an issue, but this is big."

"Atlantis big," Knockout mused, earning stares from the group; he smiled nervously, "Like on earth, the ah, theory of a city under the sea. Accept way cooler than a city on land and all."

Smokescreen took a look at the datapad next, "Only one problem. When we used what we had of the Cyber Matter to repair Cybertron's core, we pretty much caused a whole lot of quakes. What if the city's gone now?"

Ultra Magnus took the datapad from the smaller mech, nodding, "This does call for quite a bit of concern. But the ancient's technology was some of the best and perhaps taking from the past will help build a better future."

"That's not the only thing that held my interest," Starscream smirked, holding up an older datapad, "All of these were written a very long time ago. And while all of them were copied from the original text at the very beginning of the war, one thing remains clear," he activated the datapad, which holo-formed a map of the city it described, hidden under the Sea of Rust, "Their original author was one of the first Primes. And he describes what sounds like a second Matrix."

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**Suck on that, Indiana Jones. This has aliens in it, AND it would make a better movie. Grab the snake.**


	28. Real Before You

**This is the longest chapter to date. 3,000+ words. Complain not. Simply absorb...**

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"I blame you," Knockout hollered over the plasma fire that shot just above their helms, "This is all your fault and I blame you!"

Starscream ran beside him, keeping his helm low as he scrambled to run alongside his comrade, "Blame me later, for frag's sake, just keep running!"

Behind them, he drew closer, his aim getting better the harder he pushed to close the gap between them.

-_Earlier_-

Starscream landed at the edge of the Sea of Rust first. Behind him Arcee, Knockout and Ultra Magnus pulled up in their vehicle forms, transforming once they reached the edge as well.

"Took you long enough," Starscream huffed, hiding a smile, "I thought I was going to rust myself."

Arcee nudge him as she walked passed, getting ahead of him, "Don't be such a sparkling, Starscream. We were driving as fast as possible. And you decided to fly slow on your own."

The seeker sneered, "Oh? Did I?"

"Both of you, enough," Ultra Magnus said sternly, "We need to pay attention to the task at hand. If there is a second Matrix, we need to secure its location and recover it. There is nothing else more important right now."

The large mech walked passed Starscream as well to join Arcee, but Knockout remained by the seeker's side for a moment.

"Yeesh, they're looking at this as though it's the only way, aren't they?" the red mech whispered.

Starscream shrugged, "A second Matrix gains the possibility of a new Prime. Ultra Magnus is a fine leader, but I don't doubt that even he wishes they had a Prime to lead them."

Knockout smirked, whispering quieter, "Or a chance to get Optimus back, you know. Ancients had freaky tech. Coupled with what we have now, they could probably muster something up to get him back, couldn't they?"

The medic walked on, leaving Starscream behind to think. Resurrect Prime? _That_ Prime in particular? A sinking feeling befell the seeker and he lightly rubbed at his chest plate to soothe the pain.

_Does this concern you?_

Optimus Prime, _the_ Prime? Despite all Starscream had done, he highly doubted that Optimus himself would let him go with all the other misdeeds he had under his belt.

_This only holds as a possibility. Knockout assumes. You are assuming again, as well. And your assumption is instilling a fear within you that need not be there. Let it go. Intake easy, Starscream. When you understand the situation with nothing but facts, you will feel better._

But right now he was worrying. If this particular Prime returned, would he spare the seeker? Would the Autobots vouch for him?

_When the time comes to worry, I will be there. For now, nothing has happened. Take it one step at a time, Starscream._

"One step at a time," Starscream whispered to himself, taking a step forward, then jogging a bit to catch up to the rest of the small search party. Arcee held out a scanner and one of the datapads the seeker had recovered earlier, looking for a particular spot in the metal beneath them.

"I haven't gotten any readings yet," she mumbled sourly, "Maybe Smokescreen was right and the tremors forced the city deeper into the planet."

"Or worse," Knockout yawned, sitting on a boulder to rest, "it was smooshed."

Starscream glared at the red mech, "The ancient's built everything to last. What couldn't be modified was built over, not demolished," he glanced at the datapad, "And if the ancients were simply crazy enough to build under the Sea of Rust, they would have had to have planned for everything. Leaks, invasions and yes," he snatched the file from Arcee, walking along, "quakes. Have a little more faith, Arcee. If you expect nothing all the time, life becomes dull."

The femme rolled her optics, letting the seeker press on, "Fine, then you take that and I'll keep the scanner. Maybe we'll cover more ground keeping the past," she motioned towards the datapad, "and the present," she held up her scanner, "away from each other."

Ultra Magnus walked behind them, scanning the horizon, "Our newer technology may not be able to see the city the same way, Arcee. For now," he took the file back from Starscream and handed it to her, "rely on what the Prime's left behind for us to use."

She nodded and accepted the datapad, reading it carefully and following the instructions to the letter.

Knockout stretched when he hopped off his little boulder, almost letting the bottom of his peds scuff as he walked at the back of the group, "So you think Prime knew about all this when he went to join the Well of Allsparks? Collective wisdom of the Primes and all?"

Arcee shrugged, "Maybe he did. What matters now is finding this place."

Starscream wanted to find it too. If for nothing else, the ancients created some of the most amazing tech he had ever encountered. Even the materials and techniques used to create the walls and floors of their structures were so foreign, almost alien.

_It really is something to behold, is it not?_

Starscream really thought so.

_But is it wise to bring the past, present and future so close together, Starscream? The last Prime passed on believing the age of Primes was at an end. Did he see the fault in allowing the past to have control instead of learning from it?_

"I'll keep an optic on what they do," Starscream grumbled quietly, "and if anything they do seems off, then we'll have to talk about it, won't we?"

Knockout nudged the seeker, "Huh? Talking to me, Screamer?"

The gray mech flattened his wings and began to walk quickly, waving him off, "No, no, just taking some notes on the area, Knockout. Why don't you make yourself useful and do the same."

The red medic frowned a little, then shrugged, "Fine, suit yourself," he followed behind Ultra Magnus, beginning his own search for secret crags or slits in the browned metal.

Starscream put some distance between himself and the group, his worry growing as he addressed the voice as quietly as possible, "Look, I know now isn't the best of times, but maybe we shouldn't communicate right now."

_If you wish me silent, you need only ask._

The seeker almost whimpered, getting alongside a boulder to better mask his chassis, "No, I do appreciate your input, you can speak, but don't give me questions that I need to worry about," he hissed, "Optimus Prime perished seeing me as an evil entity, if they bring him back, I doubt my past actions will simply be forgotten."

_You worry you would be held at a trial and imprisoned._

Starscream nodded slowly, perching his wings high on his back to hide the movement of his helm, "I do… Prime… well, as I knew him… he was a very forward and swift leader. The last he and I were on the same footing, as it were, he put a gun to my helm and told me to keep walking," the seeker pouted, struggling to keep his voice quiet, "I had no T-cog, no weapons, I was bound by stasis cuffs from Vehicon drones and I just wanted to go back to my little hole to hide away!"

_You are afraid of him. And he is not even present._

Starscream pouted, his wings drooping slightly.

_Starscream, I feel and understand your concerns. I cannot do much as I am, but I can give you my assurance that I will guide you through all this. If a second Matrix does exist, it will have the collective wisdoms of all the Primes, not just the last. Resurrecting the last Prime the Autobots had is a difficult task to even comprehend. They would have to find another._

The seeker scoffed, coughing to cover himself when Arcee glanced over; he mumbled, "Well, I certainly wouldn't be the next Prime."

_No… perhaps not. But a mech with something to say does not have to be a Prime for others to listen._

Starscream mulled the comment over in his helm, nodding slightly.

_The past is to be learned from, Starscream, not held onto for the rest of existence. Progression is not made by living so far back._

"No," the seeker smiled lightly, "it's made by building on the old and remembering what it took to achieve such strides."

_Yes. Just as you should now. The time to worry must come later. For now, find this city. Take it in, feel it, learn what you can from it. I will help you should understanding all of it become difficult._

What was there to understand? Then again, those ancients and their tech…

Starscream simply nodded again and looked onto the horizon, at all the brown and rusted metal they still needed to look through, "Anyone find anything?" he called to his comrades.

"Nothing," Arcee called back, "Maybe these records are wrong!"

Ultra Magnus made his way over to where Starscream was, calling back, "We will keep searching until we are sure! This is not an opportunity we can afford to let slip away!" he turned to the seeker, voice lowered, "Starscream, transform and circle the Sea. If you find any anomalies, let us know. We'll inspect closer from the ground."

Starscream nodded, backing away to allow himself more transformation room, "Yes, sir," and with that he was gone; he didn't need to be told twice.

_Do you think you will find anything from up here?_

Truth be told, he didn't. The ancients were known for their subtleties, not the obvious. To see it from the air would be too easy. Especially now that the Sea was dried up-

Starscream almost fell from the sky at the realization. The Sea was gone, _gone._ It had been dried up for a long time now, after Cybertron fell into darkness. But it used to be massive, it used to span out quite a bit, it used to be…

The seeker looked to the distance and saw a very small formation just next to where the others were searching next to. He noted the gray of the boulders versus the rust covered metal they sat upon, and that the formation itself was lightly rusted, but would have been darker had it been sitting in the Sea longer. That was what they needed to look for.

"Ultra Magnus, listen," he COMMed down to them excitedly, "I know what we need to look for, we need to move in deeper, we need to find a protrusion encapsulated in rust, dark rust-"

A red plasma blast nearly caught on the side of his wing and the seeker dropped like a rock, letting himself fall while he gathered his wits.

_You have been found, Starscream. Pull up, you need to fly as fast as you can._

The roar of a much larger engine engulfed the sound of his own as Megatron flew in after him, diving down as he powered his cannons.

"Starscream!" he snarled, "You tricked me! You ruined mech!"

Ultra Magnus pulled Knockout and Arcee out of the way to cover them as the two fliers sped passed them, each ducking and diving, one trying to outmatch the other to escape. The other, however, was looking to ground the mech he was sharing the skies with.

Starscream felt panic fill his chassis. He knew Megatron could not be defeated so easily, but a part of him had hoped the building had killed him.

_We knew this would come, stay focused. Ultra Magnus and the others are doing as you told them, simply keep Megatron busy while they find an opening and you can escape with them._

The seeker whimpered, but did so, flying low, fast, recklessly, and with all the expertise he had to keep Megatron as far away as possible, but interested in him at the same time. Knockout was down with Magnus and Arcee. The red mech had been also been named one of the gargantuan mech's targets.

Down below, Arcee watched in horror as Starscream dodged another shot in midair, transforming for a split second to suddenly change directions and fly off, "He can't keep this up!" she hissed, "He's going to make a mistake and Megatron will-"

Ultra Magnus grabbed her shoulder, "Then let's do Starscream a favor and find the door to the under city. If we find it, he can fly in after us and we can seal it off!"

The blue femme nodded and transformed alongside Knockout, the pair driving forward with everything their engines could give them as they headed deeper into the dried up Sea of Rust. Magnus turned back to the flying pair above him and aimed carefully, firing a shot at Megatron to slow him down at least.

The large mech dodged the blast, giving Starscream enough time to put more distance between them, but the larger mech still pressed on, pursuing him mercilessly, "I will have your helm, Starscream! Your nature only tells you to destroy and covet and betray others! You can never be fixed!"

Starscream yelped when another blast from the jet behind him nearly hit his wing and he whimpered, "And what about you?" he yelled back, "You wish to punish me for something I've yet to even think of or even try to accomplish! I've done nothing wrong!"

"Yet, Starscream," Megatron retorted, getting closer, "But it's only a matter of time before it happens and then I will have to fix all your mistakes! It's better to kill you now before you dare attempt such cruelty!"

Red plasma shots flew all around Starscream as he drove himself upwards, trying to gain some momentum. On the ground, Arcee and Knockout drove only a couple miles away, stopping at a small boulder darkened by age and rust. A lot of rust.

"Here?" Arcee asked quickly, glancing back in worry.

Knockout nodded, pushing on the boulder, "We don't have time to second guess!"

The femme jumped at the boulder too, both pushing with everything they had to move it aside. Under it, hidden away from eons of light, was a small control pad.

"That's it!" Arcee yelled excitedly, activating it.

The ground beneath them churned and groaned, circuits reawakening and gears moving after having been asleep for so long. Ultra Magnus turned from watching Starscream and Megatron to run to the pair, witnessing a great structure emerge and transform before them; a great door to the under city below.

Arcee and Knockout struggled to open the door, the seal stuck with rust that hadn't been treated for centuries, but as soon as Magnus joined them in their efforts, the rust began to crack and fall away bit by bit, allowing the door to open enough for the femme to crawl in.

"Clean out the other side," Ultra Magnus ordered, still trying to pull the great door open, "We need it to be as clear as possible for when we get Starscream in!"

"Sir!" Arcee answered back, firing plasma blasts at the hinges delicately and quickly to help loosen them up.

Above them, Starscream was beginning to lose speed. He was tiring. And no matter how much the voice encouraged him or told him he would be all right, he knew it was only a matter of time. Below him, he saw the rest of his group had found the opening to the under city. He was happy they had at least been given that much. But he was finding himself angry that no one could give to save him.

_You are giving up on yourself, Starscream._

The voice almost sounded angry to him. Almost.

_You will not lose this day, your life has only just started to begin once more. You have beaten oppression, survived torture and I refuse to allow you to give up now when you are so close. I will not allow you to give up._

Starscream groaned in pain when he felt his chassis begin to heat up. His engine felt like it was on fire. He dove suddenly, the screams of his engine drowning out the screams coming from his vocals and he aimed as straight as he could for the opening his comrades had made with the door.

"He's coming in fast," Ultra Magnus hollered, "Get the door open, quick, give him room!"

With a harsh and final push, Knockout and Magnus shoved the door open and dove in, landing on the ground in front of Arcee. She too ducked and stayed low as Starscream flew in, a careening jet of metal and embers as he transformed at the last second and slammed in behind them, rolling into the hallway.

Ultra Magnus and Knockout jumped back up and rammed into the door to shut it, paint and chassis the last things on their minds, just before the roar of Megatron could follow them in. The door locked into place.

There was a brief moment of silence before Starscream's wails found them. A sobbing, pained noise that reverberated against the walls and hung in the old air without an echo.

Arcee shuddered, shakily standing and looking down the hallway where Starscream had ended up, in the darkness, "S-Starscream?" she stuttered, "Are you all right?"

His pained whimper was the only thing that answered and after the group had a moment to collect themselves, they followed the seeker's tormented sounds far down the hall. Far…

When they finally reached him, they found Starscream slammed into the end of the hallway, up against a wall. His left wing was bent the wrong way, and his left servo was also contorted in a direction that was not pleasant to witness. His whole left side had been scratched and dented, save for his helm, which had been protected by his large shoulder plate.

Arcee knelt down to him as Knockout set to work, treating areas that were leaking energon, "Starscream…" she whispered, looking at his injuries in her own pain, "Are you all right?"

Starscream hissed his intakes in, fighting his chassis to keep it from curling up, "N… No," he managed, panting in agony, "But I'm alive… I'm alive…"

Ultra Magnus watched over the three of them carefully, blasters ready as the medic and femme worked on repairing what they could for the seeker.

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**I don't give Starscream a God-mode. Characters only grow up if they are beaten... *gets the rolled up newspaper* Huzzah.**


	29. Tops Down

**Guys, I want to thank everyone for reading this. This story has officially earned 17,200+ views. That means a lot to me. I'm in a real good writing mode right now. But this chapter is leading up to a couple of graphic chapters. I'm warning you now just in case someone suggests a rating change. Thank you all again.**

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It took a while to get Starscream back into a condition that didn't involve his squealing in pain every few moments. His wing wasn't as straight as it could be, and his servo was definitely going to need finer tuning when they returned to the Nemesis, but he was alive. That's what he wanted the most.

"Ugh, and your paint!" Knockout whined, "I mean, sure, you didn't have a lot to begin with, but Primus, I just fixed and waxed this chassis after your little incident with the acid rain storms a few cycles ago!"

Starscream winced as Arcee helped him to stand, smirking, "Oh, I just suppose my need to be accident prone is telling you to stop fixing the paint."

The red medic hissed, pointing a digit at him, "Don't you dare say anything bad about the paint. I'll fix it again once we get back to the ship."

Arcee smirked a little as well, "I think Starscream will have to get in line after you" she gestured to Knockout's side, the paint scratched and scuffed from slamming the door closed as hard as he did.

Knockout stared at his shoulder plating and took in a great gasp, but before he could start screaming, Ultra Magnus set a servo over the damage, "Carry it as a badge of honor until we return safely. I assure you, doctor, that no one is going to think so little of you simply because your paint is damaged. You sacrificed it to ensure lives were not lost. I would not have been able to seal the door shut without your assistance…"

The large mech patted his shoulder then walked on, leaving the red mech to pout, "He says it like that and then I get too prideful to whine about it…"

"As you should," Starscream winced again, "Besides, if Megatron had gotten in here, he would have made sure your paint was more than just scraped a bit."

"We would all be dead," Ultra Magnus answered from just up ahead, "But we're not yet, so let's keep moving," his optics settled on the seeker, "Can you walk?"

Starscream nodded, carefully pulling away from Arcee to test his ability to do so, "It gets easier as I move around… I'll be fine."

"Good," was his only response.

Lights on all four Cybertronians glowed brightly in the darkness of the hall. Arcee and Knockout were the first to aim their headlights down the hall, both noting quickly that there were two directions they could take.

"So," Knockout hmmed lightly, "where should we explore first?"

Arcee carefully handed Starscream the datapad, letting him look while she lit the area ahead, "The map has it going in two different directions," the seeker mused, studying the data, "But it doesn't matter, they converge on the same large chamber just below us. We could go one way, then go the other when we're ready to leave."

Ultra Magnus nodded, "We may need to do so should Megatron some how get the door open and follow us down here," he engaged his blaster, pointing it down the hall, "We need a standard formation. Starscream, stay behind me. Knockout, follow him, and Arcee, we'll need you to bring up the rear. Keep your guards up. We don't know what's in here…"

And so it began. Their journey down.

Starscream was more afraid than he was letting on. He could feel his engine in his back ache with pain. When he transformed earlier, he felt the metal dripping into the seams of his back. He was sure that now that it was cooled, the stiffness in his spinal struts were not from being sore. He grumbled quietly, knowing Ratchet was going to have a field day chastising him when he began to make more detailed repairs.

But for now he knew he needed to remain focused, as much as his mind wished to wander.

_I need to apologize._

Well, this was new. Starscream said nothing, everyone was too close for him to respond back vocally, as he preferred.

_I do not mind that you cannot address me, Starscream, but I feel as though some of your injuries were caused by my outburst earlier. I should have had more control and more faith in your ability to evade Megatron. I became afraid when he drew too close. I pushed too hard, and I want to apologize._

The voice was apologizing for getting angry? For some of his injuries? … The heat just before the burst of speed, the melted metal in his back, the crash landing-

"You fragging slag sucker!" Starscream suddenly snarled into the open air, surprising the rest of the group.

Knockout scoffed, glaring, "Excuse me?"

The seeker gulped when he realized he spoke aloud and quickly reach behind him, "Th-that fragger Megatron must have damaged my engine some how, my spinal struts feel really stiff!"

Ultra Magnus stopped ahead and sighed, turning back, "Doctor, check for him, will you?"

The red medic grumbled and did so, using the light from his head lights to focus into the crevices of the seeker's back, "Mmm… mhm…" he pulled away, "It's damaged all right. I don't think Screamer will be flying for a while until we can clean it out and replace the engine's shell casing."

Starscream groaned in frustration and did his best not to start screaming obscenities.

_Again, I apologize._

Apologies didn't fix metal. Starscream simply took a long and deep intake, stomping ahead and passed Ultra Magnus.

"Faster we do this, the faster we can get the repairs we need," he grumbled, heading down the hall as it began to descend using a twisting ramp, "So let's see what we can find and get out of here."

Ultra Magnus and the others followed closely behind the seeker, formation forgotten as they took every turn cautiously and every creak and groan as a reason to pause and listen.

After a few breems in their descent, Knockout quietly spoke up, "This place is creepy."

"It's old, abandoned, and lost to history," Starscream frowned, "What else were you ready to expect?"

The red medic glared at him, "Well, not this."

"Quiet," Magnus murmured, "both of you, we need to stay vigilant…" he pointed up ahead, "Arcee, move ahead and see what you can find, we'll hold back and cover you."

The femme nodded, muttering a quick 'sir' as she silently dashed forward, peering around the corner that opened into a vast chamber.

She turned back to the group, pointing, "We must have made it to the bottom," she whispered, "There's a whole city under here…"

Starscream slowly made his way to the entrance next, taking a look as well, "She's right," he carefully stepped out of the hall and onto a balcony, taking in the vastness of the room, "It's like a whole subsection of Kaon!"

The others quickly joined him to stare down the couple of city blocks that had been built under the Sea before them. It was dark and aged with dull colors, but they could still make out the finer details that had 'ancient Cybertronian craftsmech' all over them. It was something to behold.

"Well, now that we're here," Ultra Magnus rumbled, "where do we begin?"

Starscream held out the datapad, inspecting the map, "Ah, well what I can gather from this is that the city was built like some sort of sphere, see," he pointed at the map, "The top, where we are, and the bottom, all the way down here, will be the smallest levels. As we go down deeper, the city blocks will grow larger and much more expansive."

Knockout pouted, "Then we need to think like the ancients. Where would you hide something big, shiny and important?"

Arcee walked ahead, looking carefully, "In the center of it all seems the most logical. But at the same time, hiding a second Matrix at the bottom of this city would also be a good idea," she rested a servo on her hip, looking over the side of the balcony, "It would take a lot just to get down there and then all the way back up again."

Magnus nodded, "Fair. But we don't have all the time in the world to guess and wander. We cannot stay here for too long."

Starscream stayed quiet, looking over the map carefully. He inspected every room outlined, every street detailed, but the more he inspected, the more it felt like a puzzle, a maze. He sighed.

_Am I allowed to inquire about your state of mind?_

Sure. Why not. Starscream felt that the whole situation was hopeless.

_The ancients built their structures in very delicate and calculated ways, Starscream. When you step back, you see a city and when you step forward, you see a maze. Above you is the Sea and below you is the core. Around the city are walls built to last and at the center is just the same. So where would the ancients keep a treasure the four of you believe is a second Matrix?_

Starscream offlined his optics, thinking hard, "If it is a Matrix…" he said quietly, slowly, "keeping it near Primus' core would be best…"

_Yes. Go on._

Arcee, Knockout and Ultra Magnus fell silent, listening to the seeker as he spoke softly.

"But simply putting it in a building at the bottom of the city would be too easy, too simple to figure out…" he mumbled, still thinking.

_But if they would leave it close to the core, and not so obvious as a lower structure, where else would the keep it?_

"Starscream, what are you saying?" Arcee asked, looking confused, "Where else would they keep it?"

_You know, don't you?_

A sinking feeling overcame Starscream and his optics flickered on; he shuddered, "If… it is a Matrix, then we need to go to the bottom floor."

"But we heard you," Ultra Magnus rumbled again, "You just explained how it would be too obvious to put it there."

_In a building._

"Yes," Starscream mumbled, "in a building. But it's a Matrix. Or at least we think it is."

_So, what are you looking for?_

The seeker handed Arcee the datapad, "We're not looking for a building, we're looking for a chassis."

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**If I get this story to 17,400 tonight, I'll post the next chapter. I have two ready, one I'm working on now. I'll see if you guys can get it there.**


	30. Bottoms Up

**Graphic chapter. Let me know what you guys think. I'm working on Ch. 32, but I won't post 31 until that one's done.**

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Knockout shuddered, letting his digits wiggle in distaste, "Uugh… but, but a mech walks around and… and it could be anywhere!"

Starscream nodded grimly, "True, but that makes the most sense. We need to find some sort of grave or battlefield in this under city and we need to find the mech that is holding this Matrix. It's the most logical explanation I can come up with for this kind of artifact…"

Ultra Magnus was slow to respond, but eventually he did, "Starscream… you are right. As grim as the solution is, the best place to begin looking for a Matrix is within the chassis of the Prime who held it last. But we won't know where to begin with a task like that."

"This place is enormous," Arcee pointed out, "It could easily take us solar cycles to find a grave yard."

Starscream shrugged, "Then let's think about this. Where does it make sense to keep a grave yard in a sub city like this?"

The group thought for only a moment, Magnus the one to answer, "As close to Primus as possible," he looked out off the balcony, at the city scape before him, "Then we must find a means of getting all the way down to the bottom of this city. Whether by ramps or by lift."

"Lift preferred," Knockout grumbled, stretching, "I don't know how much more I can take of this."

The seeker beside him rolled his optics and nudged him roughly, walking passed, "Let's start looking now then. You never know. Maybe we'll have to drop down a hole."

The red medic gasped, scuttling after him with Arcee and Ultra Magnus bringing up the rear, "And chance scuffing our paint a second time?! How dare you speak such blasphemies!"

ssssssssss

The city was so much larger than they had anticipated. From far away, it really seemed like nothing. But the way the ancients built their structures made scale at a distance useless.

It had been almost a solid joor of their search and so far, the group had found nothing.

Arcee heaved herself over a wall, giving herself some high ground, "Anything?" she seemed to call for the hundredth time.

"Nothing!" Starscream yelled back, "You know, these ancients were real slaggers. Anyone else agree?"

"Pfft, me of course!" Knockout answered from where he was resting comfortably, his back against the wide rail of a ramp way, his peds lifted gently before him as he lounged, "I mean look what I'm reduced to resting on! Sure, it's supporting my lower back struts beautifully, but where's the support for my shoulder joints?"

The seeker growled and shoved him off his perch, "Knockout, I swear to Primus when we get out of here, I'm going to hide your buffer where you will never find it!"

The red mech stood, dusting himself off, "Fine, fine, all right, Primus, calm down, I'm done goofing!" he looked around, "Where'd Magnus end up to?"

"Over here," came the distant response.

A few blocks away, the blue mech struggled to pull some aged debris off a cage made of cables, "I think I found something!"

The group met up together on their way to investigate, closer inspection revealing the entwined cables to be damaged in a strange way.

"Ooo my, what happened here?" Knockout pursed, inspecting groove intrusions upon the metal.

Arcee winced, a servo transforming into a blaster, "Scraplet marks."

Starscream scowled and glanced around nervously, "Yes, that would definitely call some caution into this already difficult equation."

Ultra Magnus tossed the cables aside, nodding, "If they remained dormant and somewhere in this city, then we will not be surprised should they suddenly announce themselves. Keep alert. Look for marks that the scraplets have left behind."

Knockout hid himself behind Starscream's large wings, looking about, "Ooooh, this is the beginning of another horror film, I can feel it."

The seeker wrenched his wing away, walking on, "Stop your worrying and focus. We find the elevator, we go down, find the chassis and the Matrix and leave again. Simple. So stop fragging around and help out so we can leave faster!" he hollered angrily.

"Starscream, shut up," Arcee hissed, "Let's take this calmly. We can search in groups-"

"Out of the question," Knockout scoffed, "That's how we get picked off one by one. I say we stick together."

Ultra Magnus noticeably charged his blaster loudly, clearing his throat, "All three of you need to settle down," he pointed down the wide street a ways, "If you want to keep intruders out but still provide transport, you put the lifts nearer to the back," he started walking off without them, Arcee the only one to follow at first.

Knockout lightly tapped his own helm, "Of course! Humans do the same thing in stores to force the masses to buy things-"

Starscream growled, stomping after Magnus and Arcee, "Shut up, Knockout, just be quiet."

The red mech smirked, "What? I'm just taking note," he jogged after them, catching up quickly.

And it wasn't long before a sign of lifts did appear, three looking to be damaged and two others seemingly fine. Relief took over the group, but only for a moment.

Arcee spotted it first, a nestled, harmless looking ball of metal set high above them. It had small lights all over it, dotting the shell and making it appear as though it was meant to be in the city all along. A trick…

The femme pointed silently as she stopped in her tracks, not daring to whisper as the rest of the group noted the scraplet hive above one of the lifts. And there wasn't just one.

"Primus," Magnus barely managed to get out, "this is the worst infestation I've ever seen…"

Dozens of scraplet hives adorned the walls above the lifts and though the lights on the sides of each hive told the group each was a healthy nest, no movement or sound came from any of them.

"What do we do, sir?" Arcee hissed quietly, "We need those lifts."

Ultra Magnus looked conflicted, his faceplates stuck in a glare, "I know… I know, but we have no other-"

A loud explosion behind them rumbled through the city, jostling Starscream and Arcee enough to make them fall to the ground. A familiar roar of anger and another red plasma blast lit up the city as heavy pedfalls slammed into the ground.

"Starscream!" Megatron hollered, firing another shot, "Come out, come out, my former second!"

Knockout trembled and took a step back, his optics worriedly glancing up at the scraplet hives. The lights on the sides of the shells grew brighter and a hum from each hive began to echo louder.

"Slag," he yelped, "We're gonna die either way!"

Starscream grabbed the mech and pulled him down, "Quiet-"

The hum grew deafening as the scraplets emerged from their hives and peered around the once dormant room, their jaws whirring to life as they stared down the Cybertronians laid out before them. It took no time to decide what needed to be done.

Ultra Magnus grabbed the first fallen chassis he could, which turned out to be Arcee, and tossed her forward to get her running. Starscream had already shoved Knockout into the other direction, scrambling himself to get to his peds as the group split.

The red medic looked back to see Starscream gaining on him and yelped when he heard Megatron and the scraplets beginning to get closer, "What do we do?!"

The seeker was near to tears asking himself the same question. He was terrified. It all just kept coming. He never got a break from anything. Never.

_Keep going. I'm still here._

Starscream yelled out into the open air, hollering angrily, "You're always there, you always say so, but you're not fragging here! You can't fragging save us or me from this! You can't!"

Knockout didn't care what the seeker was yelling about, he only knew that whatever he was saying was true. They were dead. And it was going to get worse soon.

Just ahead of them, screaming to a halt, was Megatron as he stared the two of them down, like a predator stalking its prey.

"Well, well," he purred, stomping a ped down, "I've missed you both…" one of his servos glowed red as it charged, getting ready to fire, "Why do you both run so hard from your salvation?"

Knockout trembled as he backed away, "We don't want to die!"

Blaster fire just barely missed the pair of them, throwing them back as Megatron advanced towards them, "You only know the now, you misguided fools!" he laughed, "But I will lead you onto the right path again, I will save you from your torment!"

Starscream scuttled back and pulled the red mech beside him with him, "Don't stop, don't look, just keep going!"

They both scrambled up from the ground and ran back towards the lifts. They couldn't see Arcee of Ultra Magnus, but the scraplets were still flying rapidly through the air, looking as though they were still searching for something to sink their mandibles into.

"I blame you," Knockout hollered over the plasma fire that shot just above their helms, "This is all your fault and I blame you!"

Starscream ran beside him, keeping his helm low as he scrambled to run alongside his comrade, "Blame me later, for frag's sake, just keep running!"

Behind them, he drew closer, his aim getting better the harder he pushed to close the gap between them.

Megatron kept laughing, his firing becoming more accurate and more rapid as he ran after them, "You only delay the inevitable! It all ends today, now! I will save Cybertron from your tyranny and bring this planet back to a sense of peace and prosperity!"

The seeker turned only a moment to fire one of his missiles, the blast doing nothing to slow their pursuer down in the slightest. He went to fire the second missile but screamed in pain when he suddenly had to fend off the small group of scraplets that had descended from the group above to begin feeding. He wrenched and tore at the little vermin that bore into his chassis and proceeded to try and eat him.

Starscream's screams forced Knockout to stop and glance back, the action bringing more scraplets down from the air and onto him. Megatron slowed to a halt to watch the mechs fight off the attackers, sneering insanely as he charged up his plasma blasts in his servos.

A kick to the helm made him lose focus as Ultra Magnus landed to the side of him, Arcee coming from behind him and running at the red and gray mechs with laser fire focused on the scraplets.

"Megatron," Magnus roared, "Stand down! These two are no enemies of this planet!"

The larger mech snarled, his claws in fists, "You know not of what they are capable! They will destroy us all if we allow them to live! Do not protect them from me!"

Arcee kept running at Starscream and Knockout as Ultra Magnus and Megatron began exchanging blows, "Both of you up! We're not done yet!"

Knockout wailed and sliced into a group of scraplets with his saw and drill, "We know that!"

Starscream was in worse condition. And even though he was fighting as hard as he could, he knew the voice was staying silent because he couldn't help him now. He was done. They were done…

"Starscream, move!" Arcee jumped at him and fired at a cloud of scraplets that were getting ready to engulf him.

The femme was fighting hard, but it wouldn't matter soon enough.

The seeker looked up at her, his optics widening, "Arcee, behind you!"

A large blast of red plasma fire had hit Ultra Magnus back, slamming his chassis into Arcee's and forcing them down as Megatron continued his assault. Another powerful shot from the gargantuan mech landed beside Starscream and sent him flying to the side, slamming the mech into on of the lifts.

The machine groaned softly and whirred to life, the gears registering the new addition of weight and sending the lift into a descent. The seeker screamed, trying to pull himself up as he yelled for his companions, dare he admit, his friends.

"Knockout, Arcee, Magnus, no, NO!" he hollered.

But all he saw as the lift brought him down was the swarm of scraplets beginning their descent onto the mechs and Megatron moving in to finish what he started.

The hum of the hives bore into Starscream's mind as he heard them all screaming. All screaming.

With a pained roar, he fell to his knees and grabbed at his helm, unable to stop the lift from saving him and him alone.

ssssssssss

**No more for tonight... So sayeth my evil.**


	31. Hideaway

**Karen O - Hideaway. When in use with the last section of this chapter, it induces the sadness.**

ssssssssss

Starscream hadn't moved from his spot on the lift. It had taken him down rather quickly to the bottom level. Silence.

It was killing him inside. All he had were the mechs levels above him. And on the Nemesis. Now three of them were dead. They had to be.

The seeker still didn't move. He was too defeated to.

_Starscream-_

Red optics went pinpoint and he screamed, lurching up, "Where the frag are you?! Where the frag are you now?! They're dead! They're dead and you promised me you would help me! How does this fragging help me?!"

Starscream continued to scream, yelling and pounding on the walls around him as he allowed the venting to tire him, "I hate you! I fragging hate you! They're dead because of you! You couldn't tell me what to fragging do and now I'm stuck here alone and I have nothing and I couldn't-" he couldn't find words anymore and simply started screaming in agony.

The walls echoed his pain, the level smaller than the level up top. But the air was heavy and energized, being so close to the core. So close to Primus.

The seeker wiped tears from his optics and snarled, "If you are Primus, you're a slagging lie. Your mercy is for no one. What did they do to deserve that fate?!" he paused to listen and heard nothing, "Nothing to say now?! No reason to answer me?! You fragger! You build me up to destroy me?! This was it, wasn't it?! You slagger! You built me up to destroy me, you fragging lying slag sucking liar!"

Starscream would have continued yelling but suddenly felt his chassis freeze up, a chilling pain filling him.

_Never._

The seeker growled, fighting the urge to stay still, "Then… why? Why are… they…?"

_They are not. But you and I need to talk._

Starscream scoffed, unafraid, "Now is not the time."

_We have no choice._

The chilling feeling struck the seeker harder and he felt his helm become light. Warmth suddenly hit him as his chassis fell into the floor and laid there, his consciousness lost.

ssssssssss

The area around him was a bright gray now. Details were there, but still lightly fuzzy. Starscream didn't have to investigate for very long before the white mech came to him. He looked stern, his frown firm and full of disappointment.

The seeker felt his anger begin to boil as he glared him down and roared, running at the mech and punching him as hard as he could. The being fell and grabbed Starscream to stop him from clawing his optics out.

"Ready to talk now?!" the seeker snarled, fighting against him, "Ready to talk to me now?! Should I come back later?!"

The mech said nothing but it was clear he wasn't struggling too hard to keep Starscream back.

"I hate you!" the gray mech spat, wrenching an arm back and punching the mech under him as hard as he could, "You fragging ruined me! You're the mech I'm supposed to be?! You're Primus?! You're a figment, what the frag are you to me?!"

The white mech suddenly lurched forward and pinned Starscream down, earning surprise from the seeker as he said slowly and gently, "I am here for you. I am not the one you are angry with."

Starscream struggled to shove the larger mech off him, kicking but receiving no results, "I am fragging angry with you! You were supposed to save us-"

"You, Starscream," the mech said softly, "They cannot hear me, they cannot see me in their minds like you can. You are angry with yourself because you could not save them."

The white being finally let the seeker free, standing above him, "All I can tell you now is that they are still alive. Please-"

"Frag off!" Starscream snarled, jumping up to attack again.

The mech didn't move. He simply opened his arms and caught the smaller mech, holding him tightly as he slowly slid to sit on the floor. He hugged firmly, Starscream struggling to reach up and claw at him. But soon the pain within him became to much and the seeker was only able to wail loudly into the depths of his mind, his whole frame trembling.

"They're gone!" he sobbed, "I watched them! They gave their lives for me and I… I killed them!"

The mech shook his helm, only holding Starscream as tightly as he thought he needed to be, "You killed no one. They willingly came to your aid. I felt it, I felt it in you as you watched them."

Starscream whimpered, the mech allowing him some room to pull back slightly, "It hurt…"

The mech smiled slightly, "You see them as more than just mechs that live and intake around you. They are your friends."

The seeker hitched an intake and cried softly as he rested his helm against the white mech's shoulder plating, "Tell me they're not dead… Everything we've been through… They… They gave…"

"They would give their lives for you, Starscream," the mech said gently, "But they are alive. I promise you," he let Starscream go and stood, towering above him and offering his servo to him, "But we need to press on. I have never left you for even a moment."

Starscream reached up slowly and took the servo, the mech pulling him up and patting him on the back to assure him, "And I have always promised not to leave you. I may not fight beside you, but I am always there to make sure I can help you when I can. I am sorry all of you were harmed as you were, but it won't be long before you can get back to them and save them. We are nearly at the core now. Can you do this?"

Starscream was trembling but he took a moment to stare at the being before him, his optics, his blurred faceplate, his smile… The seeker noted changes forming before him, the mech's chassis beginning to glow a very light pink.

With a choked laugh behind a sob, Starscream wiped his optics free of any tears, muttering, "You're pink…"

The mech looked down, then back at the seeker, nodding, "Yes, I suppose I am. Are you ready?"

Starscream took an intake slowly and nodded back, "Wake me up…"

ssssssssss

With a groan, Starscream lifted himself slowly from a puddle of diluted energon tears, shaking himself and snarling in pain at his wounds. Above him, he heard scratches and hisses from vents.

The voice was silent, but he usually was after dreams such as that one. The seeker was enjoying the silence at the moment, but at the same time worried that not having the voice talk to him was going to end in his own demise.

He felt something at the back of his helm hush him, but the voice didn't speak. This was enough to calm him down though.

Starscream looked around his new surroundings. It was dark and he could hear gears somewhere far away, grinding and creaking as they continued to function.

_Are you all right?_

The seeker nodded, "I'm… better."

_Good. All I know is that something is following you down here. It would be best to find what you are looking for and leave as soon as you are capable._

Starscream nodded, moving as quick as he could, cradling a slowly leaking wound on his side, "You don't need to tell me twice. Is there any way you can direct me or am I on my own?"

_You are not the only one at a loss. I am not even sure if what we seek is a Matrix._

The seeker winced as he stepped over a lost pile of pipes, "The text described a device within the chest of a mech that was the keeper of great wisdom. What else does that sound like to you?"

_It could be a Matrix._

"That's what I think it is."

_But if it is a Matrix, do you think you will be capable of carrying it?_

Starscream scoffed, "I don't need to bear it to move it…" he paused, "Do I?"

_No, but it is a great honor and responsibility to carry the Matrix in any capacity, within servos or spark chamber._

The seeker shuddered, walking slower, "Well, I don't want it in my chest. I'll leave that to Magnus or even Ratchet… They'll find someone to bear it."

The voice was smiling, he felt it.

_You do a very fine job of everything without being a Prime, Starscream. Just keep moving, I will keep an optic out._

Starscream was thankful for that at least. He felt better knowing he had someone at his back.

The hiss of a vent off to his side surprised him and the seeker tripped, landing painfully over something on the floor. He scowled and groaned, slowly sitting up.

_Are you all right?_

"Fine, fine," he mumbled, looking at what he tripped over.

Starscream squealed and backed away, pointing, "Legs!"

And they were. A pair of large legs splayed on the floor, connected to the chassis of a long dead mech set up against the wall, had tripped the seeker. Starscream panted as he tried to calm himself down again and quietly hissed angrily as he slid closer to inspect the fallen mech.

"Is… is this him?" he asked.

_I cannot be certain. It is not as though wisdom can be seen, Starscream._

The seeker glared up at nothing and stuck out his glossa, "Gee, thank you so much for your input… Does this mean I have to open him up?"

_It would appear so. Be sure that he looks like a Prime before you do so._

Starscream moved to begin tearing the dead mech's chest plate open, then shuddered, "What if it's not? You can't know someone's a Prime simply by looking at them."

_Perhaps not the way you are thinking. Look at the finer details, Starscream. What is his armor like? Does he have any defining marks or weapons? How did he die?_

Starscream grumbled, but listened to the questions carefully, looking for the answers on the chassis before him, "Hm… well, his armor is a heavier class. It almost reminds me of Ultra Magnus…" he found a few marks on the mech's shoulder plates, indicating a middle class mech, "This kind of armor is too much for a middle class mech, though."

_I see._

The seeker lifted the remains of a high-class weapon, similar to a guard's weapon, from the dead mech's side, "He has a good gun. This is actually nice."

_How did he die?_

Starscream squinted and looked closely, looking all over the mech's form and finding only one wound just under the chest armor, "He was shot… But it looks like he didn't go down without a fight. He's much bigger than me, I wouldn't be surprised if he held his own against a whole battalion."

_Check his under his chest plate. If you are sure, then you must check. Please, be quick about it, the danger is getting closer._

Starscream paused for a moment, claws hovering over the chest plate in hesitance. But courage flooded through him at a rapid pace when he thought about what it would mean to find what he was seeking. That all of this was important. That he needed to get back to the upper level and help the rest of them.

His claws tugged and wrenched at the plate, a snarl escaping his throat when he finally pried the metal away and was met with an abnormality within the mech's spark chamber. He had never seen the Matrix, but this had to be it.

"Is this…?" Starscream reached in and pulled out the device.

It looked like a small gray sphere with two handles on the sides. Was this…?

He didn't have long to ponder if this was what he had been looking for, and the voice didn't respond. A loud crash and roar came from where Starscream had traveled from, over by the lifts.

He heard how angry he was now, Megatron screaming his name over and over as he stomped down the hall.

"Starscream!" he heard, "Starscream, don't fight this any longer!"

The seeker hid behind a console and curled in as tight as he could, wishing the voice would speak up.

_I am here. But this is not the danger-_

A bright red plasma blast shot into the console's side and sent Starscream squealing from his hiding spot, and out into the open. Megatron sneered and ran forward, looking to grab the seeker before he could scramble away, but the smaller mech dove to the side and got to his peds, running as fast as he could deeper into the structure.

And the brute gave chase, swords erupting from his arms, "Starscream," he taunted, "don't be such a coward! I promised you a swift end, and this is a promise I intend to keep!"

Starscream didn't respond, he only kept running as hard as he was able.

_Just keep going. There's an open room just ahead. Run for it. There may be something you can use to defend yourself better._

Megatron was drawing closer, but the seeker ran into the open room, gears and cogs and pistons working all around him. He was taken aback by the state of the room, how alive and clean it was, but he was brought back when he felt a stiff punch slam into him and send him flying into the wall in front of him.

_Above you- Press the red button!_

Starscream didn't bother asking what it was. His servo lurched up and pressed the button. Megatron rushed forward, swords thrown forward as he charged. But a shield threw him back, encasing Starscream protectively.

The smaller mech winced as he pulled himself up, smiling lightly, "A shield…"

Megatron growled, flexing his claws, "Shields can be broken, Starscream. Shields can be removed."

_Not this one. I promise you, he cannot bring this one down. It will not matter soon enough…_

The voice sounded sad… The voice sounded like it knew something…

A dull hum slowly ghosted itself into the room, growing louder as the kliks went by. Megatron looked confused and snarled, looking back at the hall they had run in from. The large mech suddenly roared as he was assaulted by the swarm of scraplets from the upper level. They had followed him down.

Starscream gasped in surprise and slunk back, watching as his former leader was being eaten. All the plasma blasts and slashes of the swords in the world wouldn't have been able to stop this. The scraplets tore into him mercilessly, grouping on parts of the gargantuan mech's chassis and making sections of the metal just disappear, their pleased hums an indication of where the materials went.

"No," Starscream trembled, whimpering, "No, no! I can't watch this, no!"

_Do not look, it will end soon-_

"Not like this!" the seeker shouted, throwing up his servos to hide his optics from the carnage.

In one of those servos, the device he had found was still gripped tightly and the center of it began to glow brightly. The scraplets noticed the light and quickly lost interest in the large mech they were devouring, flying to the light like moths to a flame. And as they rammed into each other to get to this light first, they flew into the barrier around the seeker, keeping them back.

Soon the light became more intense and the first of the scraplets began to short out, their shells falling to the ground and beginning to pile around him. Starscream still shielded himself with his arms, the sound of the scraplet chassis' falling to the floor keeping him at bay. But soon the noise stopped. Soon the light dulled.

Silence would have been the only thing left in the room had it not been for the gears and cogs and pistons hard at work. And the pained and raspy gasps of Megatron, laying in agony only a few feet away from the seeker.

Starscream whimpered and slowly reached up, pressing the red button above him. The shield dissipated, leaving him bare. But the seeker stood slowly and walked forward, watching carefully.

"M… Megatron?" he whispered, "Are… are you…? Megatron?"

The large mech just kept intaking, unable to move. He was in bad shape.

_He will not make it, Starscream._

A hard rock was building in the pit of Starscream's spark chamber and slowly he made it to the great mech's side, sitting beside him, "Then I can help him say good bye to this world…"

The seeker hesitantly took Megatron's servo in his own, the larger mech's optics hardly able to focus on the smaller mech beside him, "Star… scream…"

Starscream sighed, trying to hold back the pain and fear he was feeling, "It's all right, Megatron. When you go into recharge, you'll wake up in a better world. I-" he faltered, tears in his optics; Primus, this was a rough day, "I promise this world will be safe. All I can give you is my promise…"

Megatron winced as he looked the seeker over.

He slowly reached up, setting a servo on his shoulder as he managed a smile, most of his helm ripped to pieces, "I… hardly recognized you…"

Starscream coughed in surprised, "I-I was mangled earlier when I crashed-"

Megatron shook his helm, "No… You look… stronger…" his smile didn't disappear, "I don't think I ever saw you this way…" he leaned back, letting the seeker's shoulder go, "It suits you…"

Starscream watched him for a moment, the mech before him falling silent, "M-Megatron? Megatron!" he shook him roughly, "Megatron, not here, don't do this here, please, please!"

_Starscream, it is all right. He has found his peace…_

ssssssssss

**~We'll have a bit of fun, watching everyone pass us by...~ Let me know your thoughts on this one. This chapter was one of the harder ones.**


	32. Stepping Out

**I think I might finish this story before the year is out. I'm impressed with myself. Also, I love reading all of your theories. They make me smile. And laugh. And wag a finger.**

ssssssssss

It hadn't taken Starscream long to get back to the lifts. But it was hard going back up. He didn't know why. Megatron had tried to kill him. But maybe it was more than that. He had been someone he once looked up to. Someone he once respected. But there was no fixing this… not this.

True to what the voice had told him, Knockout, Arcee and Ultra Magnus were alive. Bitten a bit, but the scraplets had followed Megatron as soon as they saw him. The group was happy to see Starscream alive, and that's all the seeker could remember after that. Most of it was a blur.

And now an annoying light shining in his optics.

"He's been like this the whole way?" Ratchet asked, checking Starscream's optic health.

Arcee shook her helm, wincing when Soundwave carefully applied a patch to her arm, "He won't talk to any of us. He's just become a zombie."

Knockout growled from the other side of the med bay, slapping Bumblebee's servos from a small wound on his shoulder, "Stop, you're doing it wrong," he glanced over at Starscream, "All we did manage to get out of him was that Megatron was on the bottom level. That's when we called in for a bridge."

Ratchet sighed, shaking his helm sadly, "He's suffering from shock."

Smokescreen brought over a cleaning towel for Knockout, going over to Ultra Magnus with patches for him, "Geez, can't imagine why. What was so scary that it turned him into this?"

"It doesn't have to be fear," Knockout grumbled, slapping Bumblebee's servos away again, "No, look, get Bulkhead, he's like Breakdown in a sense, for Primus' sake."

Bumblebee rolled his optics, "Fine, I'll see if he can be pulled away."

The red medic glared, pointing a tool at him, "See that you do," he lightly began sealing gnaw marks on his leg closed, grumbling to himself.

Ultra Magnus stared at Starscream sadly, wincing as he lifted himself off the medical berth and stood before him, "Starscream," the seeker said nothing, so the large blue mech knelt down before him, sighing, "Starscream, I know you can hear me…"

Starscream didn't move, or at least tried not to; his servos were still in tight fists, trembling slightly.

Ratchet came back to the winged mech's side with a light sedative, grumbling, "This will help relax him. Maybe then we can get that thing out of his servos, huh?"

Magnus waved the medic off gently, "Just… give us a moment first, all right?"

The older mech frowned, but nodded, holding back as Ultra Magnus carefully situated himself in front of the seeker, "Starscream," still met with silence, "You saw it, didn't you?"

The trembling in Starscream's servos became more evident, but Magnus continued to speak, "We went down to the lower levels. We found all of the scraplets destroyed. And we recovered Megatron's chassis-"

Starscream choked back a sob, his whole chassis shaking. Arcee and Knockout watched him sadly while Smokescreen turned away.

Magnus set a servo on the seeker's shoulder, "It's all right, soldier. It's over now," he looked to Ratchet and nodded, the medic moving in to administer the sedative.

"Th-that's not…"

Ratchet stopped, pulling away from the seeker, "… Is not what?"

Starscream took an intake deeply, slowly, barely able to move, "He… shouldn't have died that way… Not like that…"

Knockout frowned, "He was going to kill us!"

"It wasn't his fault!" the seeker snarled back, finding his fight again, "He wasn't lucid! He…" he deflated again, conflicting emotions raging like a storm on his faceplates, "He… Something happened to him… And just before he died, it was like…"

Arcee fidgeted from her place on the med berth, "Did he say something to you?"

Starscream nodded, his balled up claws finally beginning to relax as he let the device he had been holding go, "He was at peace… I've never seen him like that…"

Soundwave stopped patching Arcee to look at him, helm to the side as he stared curiously.

"He said he barely recognized me…"

The blue mech pulled away from Arcee and nodded to her as his way of excusing himself, going over to help Starscream to his peds. Ultra Magnus stood and stepped back, giving them both room.

Ratchet sighed, setting the sedative aside, "Soundwave, make sure he gets back to his room safely. Knockout and I will tend to his more pressing wounds later. Right now, he needs to rest…"

The silent mech only nodded again, leading Starscream out of the med bay.

ssssssssss

"Do you think this is a wise decision to escape the real world by hiding within your dreams?"

Starscream scoffed, lying on a gray ledge, "Does it matter?"

The now lightly pink mech sighed, "I do not think this is good for you. I know the loss of Megatron is hard-"

"Do you?" the seeker snapped; he glanced at the mech and sighed, "Sorry…"

The being sat next to him, shaking his helm, "I understand the pain. Even though Megatron's new goal was to destroy you, he was still large part of your life, even if you disliked him."

Starscream sighed, "And I did. I used to think he could be the next Prime. And then I learned to loathe him. And then… I simply accepted my role as his second… It was easier to get over the beatings that way…"

The mech smiled sadly, setting a servo on his shoulder, "You survived him, you grew into a strong mech. You wanted to try and save him as well, didn't you?"

The seeker nodded slowly, covering his optics with his arm, "Y-yes…"

The being looked forward, into the light gray void of Starscream's mind, "Not all mechs can be saved, Starscream. I can tell you he died at peace. And I can tell you this was the easiest way for him to go. You were there for him."

Starscream shot up, "But I was saved-"

"I did not save you, you saved yourself. Megatron was harmed by Unicron in ways we would not have been able to fix," the mech sighed, "You were there for him as I was there for you, but I am sure that Megatron left this world seeing his regrets leave him. I felt pride come from him when he saw you, mind cleared. I can tell you he is a very lucky mech to have that… to have died letting go of his regrets…"

Starscream frowned slightly, staring, "… Why… is that?"

The mech smiled, keeping his gaze forward, "To die with regrets becomes a burden, Starscream. Know that you gave him peace. You gave him that. As much as I want to say another could have rewarded him that, I doubt it is true," he patted Starscream's servo lightly, "I know something that could help you, if you do not mind a suggestion."

The seeker shrugged, relaxing slightly, "Suggest away."

The being stood, helping Starscream to his peds, "Talk to him. Even though he is passed, I am very sure he can still hear you. His spark is not gone; it is only freed and transformed. Do not address the open air, specifically talk to him. You may not be able to hear him, but he will hear you. It will ease the pain."

Starscream cast his gaze down, then looked up again, "Are you sure it will work?"

The mech nodded, "When you do not wish to talk to me, talk to him instead. Talk about anything you want. Ask questions, tell secrets, but just acknowledging him will help. I am not certain how much you would want to talk to him about, but telling him what his passing has done to you and what he did to your life will also put you at peace. I sense that you being unable to confront him gives you a feeling of loss."

The seeker nodded a little, "A bit… It's not pressing but it's there."

The being hmmed, "I see. Then please take my advice…" he looked up, taking in the world around him, "You're progressing very nicely, Starscream. I am very impressed," he looked back at him, "Shall I leave you to wake?"

Starscream didn't answer for a few moments. He let the suggestions roll around in his helm for a bit before shrugging.

"For now, that may be best," he decided, "I want to know what that device I found is. It's best I show everyone I've not gone completely mental."

The mech smiled, "You're fine, Starscream. Grief is natural. When you want to talk to me, know I will be here."

ssssssssss

Starscream walked the halls alone. And by alone, he knew he meant with at least one voice following him. It didn't take him long to make his way to the med bay, both Knockout and Ratchet greeting him rather nicely.

"Feeling better?" Ratchet asked.

Starscream shook his helm, "Not as good as I could be, but time should fix things," he went over to the older mech's workstation, looking the device over, "Any progress on this?"

Ratchet scratched his helm, going to Starscream's side, "Well, it appears to be a Matrix, but it's… it's just different."

Knockout scoffed, fixing a line of paint on his servo, "It's like the scrappy back up!"

Ratchet glared at him, "Sure, yes, that's a very basic way of describing it, but it's still a Matrix. It could be a Prime's Matrix, or it could be a Matrix of the ancient's knowledge modeled to look like the Matrix of the Primes…" he sighed, "At this time, we can't be sure."

Starscream frowned. He wanted more information than that.

"But I have some good news," Ratchet smiled, "We've been experimenting with the formula you managed to get from Shockwave and Ultra Magnus should be able to have surgery within the next couple cycles to have his servo replaced."

The seeker smiled lightly, "That is good news…"

The older medic went back to his computer, nodding, "It really is! And from what Knockout has told us about Predaking, we're hoping to try some other kinds of experiments as well!"

Starscream froze, slowly glancing at Knockout who sadly shrugged a little, "Other kinds?"

_I do not like the sound of that…_

ssssssssss

**Thoughts? Comments? Concerns? Fries? No. You guys don't get to have fries.**


	33. Split in the Middle

**Only one of you is displeased about Megatron. He did not get a redemption in the movie, he was tossed the sudden art of taking back everything he's ever done without paying for it. There was no way he came out of all that sane. It was better for him to pass in peace. And all of you know I'm not going to validate your guesses on the ending. But yes, it is** **true...**

ssssssssss

"I think you're all stupid and this is a terrible idea."

Ratchet rolled his optics, frowning, "Well, at least you got to the point quick enough."

Starscream had called another meeting of all the mechs living under the Nemesis' roof. He seemed to do this pretty often. Sometimes he felt like he just enjoyed hearing himself boss them around with his own views. But it was just easier to yell his argument once than having to repeat himself over an over again.

Bumblebee sighed, crossing his arms, "What are we stupid for? Besides Knockout thinking I don't know how to care for a paintjob."

Knockout scowled, pointing at him, "You wouldn't know proper paint application if it bit you-"

Starscream hissed, "Quiet, I'm not done being angry!"

The red medic huffed, crossing his arms as well; once he quieted, the seeker glared about the room, pointing at the computer console holding Shockwave's formula on the screen, "We need to talk about this. And no one is leaving this room until we do so."

Ultra Magnus frowned a little, "Starscream, you need to calm down-"

"Did Ratchet tell you what he had planned for this?!" Starscream snarled, "Did he tell you what he was experimenting with? I brought this formula here to fix your servo, not to perform resurrections!"

The room was tense before, but now it was heavy with unspoken turmoil.

Ratchet glared, "I said we were going to try new experiments, I haven't even done anything yet!"

"But you want to start cloning like Shockwave did, don't you?" Starscream hissed, "I want this all out in the open now. If I'm angry for no reason, tell me that, but don't dance around this; are you planning on trying to clone Optimus?"

All the optics in the room fell on Ratchet and the medic fidgeted, answering slowly, "I… have been thinking about it."

A few of the mechs in the room sighed at hearing the answer, but Starscream couldn't distinguish if this was out of relief or upset.

Bulkhead happily spoke up quickly, "Why is this something to be mad about? Having Optimus back would help us out!"

"It's not about 'helping out'," Starscream frowned, "It's about leaving those who have passed to their rest."

"But if he knew we could bring him back, Optimus would want that, wouldn't he?" the green mech retorted.

Ratchet sighed, leaning against his desk, "Honestly, we don't know what Optimus would think about this. If he had known before his death that we could do this, would he have condoned it? When I said I had thought about cloning Optimus, I literally meant that I was just thinking about it-"

"The problem isn't the fact that you're considering cloning a former Prime," Starscream growled, "It's about the selectivity you could have with that!"

Arcee nodded, "Starscream has a point. How fair would it be to bring Optimus back?"

The seeker perked his wings up, "You don't see me asking you to bring Megatron back. He died finding peace, so why should we drag him back here and expect him to keep living when he accepted what his fate was left to? Did Prime have the same moment?"

Smokescreen cast his optics down uncomfortably, as did most of the others in the room, so Starscream scoffed, "That's what I thought. So say you bring back your Prime. Does that mean you're going to bring back Skyquake and Dreadwing? If it works, would you resurrect Cliffjumper or Breakdown?"

Arcee's optics shot up and she became eerily quiet.

The seeker's wings drooped and he sighed, covering his optics, "Oh, Primus…"

"We could bring him back, couldn't we?" the femme said softly.

"No, no," Starscream growled, "That's not what we're discussing here! It's the selectivity and morality of all this! And we're not even sure that this cloning process could work! Would it be fair to all of you to watch them die again if something went wrong?"

The seeker turned and went over to Knockout, bringing the red mech over, "Knockout's dealt with cloning protoforms, you tell them! Tell them what could happen!"

Knockout seemed slightly out of it, but he looked up and said in slight surprise, "Huh, oh, it's bad?"

"Exactly!" Starscream nodded, "Cloning protoforms are rare enough and Shockwave's cloning process didn't give Predaking or the other Predacons their memories back. If it even worked, they probably wouldn't even remember you!"

Knockout whined a little from Starscream's side, off in his own thoughts, "Breakdown…?"

The seeker grabbed him, shaking him lightly, "No, not you too!"

_Starscream, they have heard your side, ask them for there's._

Starscream grumbled and let the red medic go, looking about the room, "Where is it we stand on this then?"

Arcee hugged herself gently, turning away, "If it works, I would want to use it…"

Bulkhead frowned down at the seeker, "And I'm the same way. We're doing great, but having Optimus back wouldn't hurt."

Knockout slowly sat down, holding his favorite buffer tightly, "It'd be nice to have Breakdown having my back again-"

Bulkhead and Wheeljack stiffened up, the green mech first to speak up, "Who says we'll want to bring Breakdown back?"

The red medic glared, "Hey, you're getting Prime and Cliffjumper!"

Smokescreen and Bumblebee went to the wreckers and quieted them down while Starscream went to Knockout's side to calm him down.

"See? This is what I'm talking about!" Starscream huffed, "If you use it, you'd have to give it to everyone! You'd be giving them life out of selfishness, not because you think they would want to be alive. Sure, perhaps Breakdown would have rather not been ripped to pieces, but do we bring him back after he's been gone so long?"

Knockout grumbled, still gripping the buffer, "I wouldn't care…"

The seeker looked down at him, "I know you wouldn't. But it's about what's healthy for you and all of us and those at rest."

Ultra Magnus shook his helm, "I would be lying if I didn't confess that I would want Optimus here with us," he murmured, quieting the room, "If it is selfish to want this, then I accept that."

Starscream stared in disbelief at the large mech's confession, at a loss as to why he would decide such a thing.

_Grief is difficult for so much. They feel as though bringing back the ones they cared about will avoid the grieving process, even if some of these mechs have been gone for as long as they have been…_

Smokescreen nervously looked around, intaking softly, "Well… I disagree."

The seeker perked up, looking to the blue mech.

Smokescreen smiled lightly, "Optimus sacrificed himself because he wanted to. He was ready. I gave him his second chance when I gave him the Forge to use on himself. I could have taken the Matrix from him, but I wasn't ready. He said this was the end of the age of Primes. And he's right," he shook his helm, "If you all decide that you want to bring him back, that's for you to decide, but I'm going to remember that Optimus was ready to give his life to ensure this planet was able to continue on."

Bumblebee patted his shoulder plate, smiling as well, "I agree with that. And I feel the same way. If all of you want to bring Optimus back, I'm not going to condone it. But I'm not going to wrestle anyone away from the controls, either."

Arcee sighed, "So that's clearly three against…"

"Four," Ratchet grumbled, rubbing the side of his helm tenderly, "… Remembering Optimus' sacrifice still hurts, but he did make it knowing he was giving us a chance to bring this world back. He… he did die at peace," he looked at Starscream, speaking more to him now than anyone, "And as much as I wish him here so he can see how well we're progressing, it would be selfish to do that to him after all he had given to us…"

Starscream nodded slightly, "So… four against…"

_I did not realize this would be so hard for them to discuss…_

The seeker shook his helm. It was a very delicate conversation.

"Then what do we do?" Wheeljack asked; he looked to Soundwave, "Hey, what about you, Slendermech?"

Soundwave looked at the group and said nothing, simply shaking his helm and taking a step back.

Starscream scoffed, "He gives no opinion on the matter; he wasn't close to any of the mechs we're discussing."

"Then he is the neutral party," Ratchet grumbled, "But that still doesn't solve any of this."

The seeker sighed, staring at the floor, when a thought suddenly escaped his vocals, "Haven't any of you simply talked to them? To Cliffjumper, to Breakdown, to Prime?"

"Uh, they're dead," Bulkhead frowned, "They don't talk back."

Starscream frowned back, "That's not the point. It's simply all about remembering them and talking to them. Just because they're not physically here doesn't mean their sparks are gone. They're… they're just freed, transformed. Easing the grief by talking to them can't hurt any of you."

"But it's not exactly the same, is it?" Arcee sighed.

The seeker threw up his arms, "Fine, I'm done trying to convince you to change your minds. But if you are going to do this, then think about what these mechs would actually say on the matter. If they had a choice to bring themselves back, and accept it readily, would they agree to this? With all the risk involved, with everything that has changed, would they want to be alive again?"

Starscream didn't stay to hear their answers. Majority voted himself, Smokescreen, Bumblebee and Ratchet out. And he didn't want to hear what they thought on the matter. Right now, he just wanted to stew alone.

ssssssssss

_I wanted to speak with you, but I did not know if I was welcome to._

Starscream sighed heavily. He had escaped to the outside to clear his helm. He sat heavily on a scrap of metal that had fallen from the Nemesis, just taking a moment to stare off into the distance.

"It's fine," he suddenly mumbled, "Perhaps talking to you will make things easier…"

_Do you believe all these resting mechs are at peace?_

The seeker chuckled sadly, "A part of me wants to say that. If Megatron managed to find it in his last moments, I'd like to think that Breakdown, even Cliffjumper, managed to do so as well. As brutal as their deaths were…"

_And the Prime?_

Starscream shuddered, "That… I have no say on that really…"

_But you argued for him as well._

"Yes, I did… Mostly out of fear. But honestly, what good would it do to bring any of them back, Prime included, if they accepted death? I thought we were supposed to learn from the past…" he quieted down as he wrapped his arms around his legs, "not drag it back into the present, kicking and screaming…"

_Hold onto your beliefs, Starscream. If you are sure of it, then do not let it go. But would your opinion change if they spoke of resurrecting you?_

He knew this would be asked eventually.

Starscream shrugged, "A few solar cycles ago, I would have demanded they bring me back if I had died… but now, now after all I've been through…" he looked up at the sky, "I think if I made a mistake and I died, I could accept my passing."

_You are very brave to admit that._

"Hey, Screamer."

Starscream's wings flattened and he looked back, seeing Smokescreen come up behind him with a slight and sad smile, "Ah, Smokey, did you stay to listen to them?"

The blue mech nodded, coming around the scrap of metal to sit beside the seeker, "Yeah. Cue a lot of yelling and some cursing going around, but they finally convinced Ratchet to try it once," he sighed, "They're going to try to resurrect Breakdown."

Starscream sighed heavily and covered his faceplates with his servos, "This will not end well…"

Smokescreen nodded, "I know. But they want to at least try for Breakdown, Cliffjumper and Optimus. If the first one goes well, you never know."

Both looked up to the sky, but it was Starscream who spoke, "I know they're doing this is avoid pain, but it will only cause more of it if fails."

Smokescreen smiled a little, "At the same time, if it works, then who else do we bring back?"

Starscream shook his helm, "I wouldn't have any candidates ready for such a thing…"

ssssssssss

**Knockout does end up with mismatching socks. All of you guessed right.**


	34. Divide Mending

**I know all of you _say_ you love me, but none of you even know me! If you really want me to write more of this story, then give me some time. Now, who got that**** reference? **

ssssssssss

Smokescreen left after a while of just sitting with the seeker. And Starscream appreciated it, even if they both sat in silence. Words didn't have to be exchanged; everything that had to be said had been said.

No one else bothered to check on him as the seeker stayed outside, just looking out onto the horizon. And he preferred that. He was busy in his own helm anyway.

"I just don't see the point of it all," Starscream murmured, "Their need to cling onto this so tightly. I'm actually quite pleased that Smokescreen and Bumblebee, even Ratchet, are seeing sense."

_Ones that are close to you are important, Starscream._

The seeker grumbled and laid back against the scrap, huffing, "Primus, I'm glad don't have that issue."

_Need I remind you of earlier?_

He pouted, "Oh, must you? Can we forget that?"

_You saw them as your friends._

Starscream sighed gently, "… I did, do… But I wouldn't do that to them. If they had perished, if they had died, I would have honored their memory, not mutilated their chassis' in the hopes of bringing them back. What kind of…" he growled the word out, "friend would I have been to allow that?"

_That is up to you to decide, Starscream. If they had asked it of you, if they had asked to be resurrected, would you have honored their wishes?_

The seeker bit his glossa, whining slightly as he answered, "Oooooh, perhaps. To a point. If I knew it wasn't going to work, then I wouldn't chance it."

_And if it would?_

More grumbling, "Well, yes, if they had asked, and I knew it would work… But Cliffjumper and Breakdown never asked, least of all Prime. From what I've heard, he readily accepted his death and said his good byes. Why would they do that to him?"

_I cannot speak for them, Starscream, but from what we can both observe, it would appear they cared very much for him and approved of his leadership. They miss him enough to go against what he may have wished to bring him back._

Starscream rolled his optics and sat up, clearing his throat, "Well, I still think they're all making a huge mistake."

_You mean the ones who disagree._

Starscream nodded, smirking, "Oh, yes…"

The seeker sat up straighter and quieted down when he saw a light dust cloud developing in the distance. As it drew closer, he shrugged and watched as a purple tank sped towards, tapping a claw against his leg.

"I would say he's late, but I suppose it's better that he showed up at all," Starscream smirked again.

_You expected him sooner._

"Oh," Starscream chuckled as the tank slowed before transforming, "much sooner…" he stood, wings held high, "Shockwave."

The single red optic on the large mech's helm focused and he nodded, "Starscream. I understand my appearance here before notifying your group of my arrival is not standard protocol."

Starscream scoffed, sitting back down, "You couldn't have arrived at a better time, announced or not," he sighed, hiding his faceplate in his servos, "You will be welcomed with open arms right now…"

Shockwave hummed lowly, sitting heavily beside the smaller mech, "What ails you, Starscream?"

The seeker stiffened, being reminded of the voice in his helm, but he answered, slowly, "Just a debate that ended with a divide in the group. Or at least, most of it."

The purple mech nodded, looking into the distance as well, "Over something important?"

Starscream shrugged, "You could say that."

"My formula?"

The seeker stiffened again, but Shockwave didn't make any sudden movements or accusations; instead, he simply continued, "Starscream, if I had wanted to hide the formula from you, I would have done so. I was not ready to give it away because it is not the kind of mech I am. But to allow you to take it for yourself, that, in my processor, is different enough to call it logical. I did attempt to stop you, by removing Soundwave from the equation, but you still managed, did you not?"

Starscream only nodded lightly.

Shockwave hummed again, "So, I did what I could to give without ever having truly given."

The seeker snorted a laugh, "And you find that logical?"

The purple mech didn't respond immediately, but did after a moment, "Yes. To a point."

Starscream shook his helm and hid his faceplates again, sighing heavily, "Well, they want to use it now to clone fallen comrades. They're going to try for Breakdown first, then Cliffjumper and Prime… I don't think I mentioned his passing before…?"

"No," Shockwave answered, "but Soundwave managed to inform me the last I encountered you. My condolences."

Starscream smiled slightly, "Hm. Yes, give it to them when you see them. I'm sure they will appreciate it."

Both sat in silence after that. Both mechs looked worn, one from travel and one from disagreement. Not a lot had to be said.

Shockwave shuffled his peds, looking down at the seeker beside him, "What is your position on the matter of their cloning, if I may ask?"

Starscream's wings twitched in surprise at the question and he stumbled to find the right words, "I, well, I really don't have a say in all of it, do I?"

"Don't you?" Shockwave rumbled, "You brought them the formula, don't you believe you have a say in how it is used?"

The seeker scoffed, "I want to say 'yes', but despite my arguments against the procedure, myself, Smokescreen, Bumblebee and Ratchet were overruled. They're trying for Breakdown anyway…"

"And their medic is sound with this decision?"

Starscream shrugged, "I think he's only trying this to help the turmoil within himself," he admitted, "He wanted to let Optimus have peace, but at the same time he does miss him. It sounds as though they were good friends."

Shockwave stood, his heavy peds echoing a dull sound in the metal beneath them, "And do you think Prime will be resurrected if Breakdown's procedure goes well?"

"They'll try regardless," Starscream grumbled, standing as well, "They…" he paused, thinking of what the voice would say, "They do not trust themselves when Prime's leadership was something they could always rely on. They feel as though they need him back to keep going."

The purple mech nodded, "Their fears are logical at face, but hold no proofs," he gestured out towards the city he had driven through, "I have seen what they were capable of without their Prime to lead them. Buildings are being erected, streets renewed, pathways created, lights given life once more," he looked down at Starscream, "It is not wrong for them to wish their leader back, it would be illogical for them to let go so easily. But they only see what has not been accomplished in his absence rather than what has been reborn after his passing."

Starscream took a quiet intake, thinking hard on what Shockwave told him, then smiled, "So, what's your standing on it, then?"

Shockwave's optic flickered, "It would be illogical for me to have one," he turned, looking towards the opening to the Nemesis and beginning to walk, "But it would also be illogical for me to allow the procedures to be done without my supervision. It would be best that I go to help them tend to their samples."

Starscream shook his helm and walked after the mech, catching up, "It's always logic with you, isn't it?"

Shockwave rumbled, making it almost sound like a laugh, "Hasn't it always?"

ssssssssss

Ratchet was on the other side of the room alongside Knockout, scowling a bit as they watched Shockwave going over their samples and data.

The red medic huffed, crossing his arms as he gave the Cyclops a dirty look, "So, it's happening all over again…"

"Nothing is 'happening', doctor," Shockwave rumbled, checking the data a second time, "I am simply assuring myself that your calculations are as sound as they need to be. At present, they are not."

Ratchet stomped over, frowning, "And what's wrong with them? I checked them myself!"

"You have not given your lack of sufficient CNA samples a suitable variable," he pointed out, magnifying the formula on one of Ratchet's screens, "Here, this equation asks for at least…"

The science of this bored Starscream.

He sighed, resting his chin on a servo as he leaned on a med berth, giving Knockout a slight glance, "So, does this constitute as poetry or utter drawl to you?"

The red mech grumbled, "A bit of both," he sat next to him, "but I'm not exactly worried about that. Did you clear Shockwave with Magnus?"

Starscream pursed a little, "Hmm… Define 'Magnus'."

"Does he even know that he's here?" Knockout hissed.

The seeker shrugged, "Soundwave does. This seemed a little more important than bringing him to our leader to be told the rules. Getting him situated here is better. He can help you with everything you need for a smooth… transition…" he glanced up at him again, "Do you have enough of Breakdown's CNA to clone him."

Knockout thought about it for a moment, looking worried for a fraction of a klik, "Well, I should think so," he said quietly, "I gave him priority on check ups, so CNA workups on him were the norm for viruses and such. He wasn't exactly the latest model."

Starscream nodded, "True, true."

"But Megatron asked that I destroy most of his samples after the incident and all," the red mech grumbled, "Maybe I should have saved more. I want to say that Breakdown's chassis is available, but the contamination from broken Synth-En, dark energon and human DNA makes it useless for what we want with it…"

Starscream shuddered slightly, "Please tell me you're going to have it destroyed or laid to rest before you wake him up…"

Knockout nodded, smirking, "Oh, I plan on having him as a part of that! He needs to see what we brought him back from."

The seeker stared in disbelief, then choked back a laugh, covering his faceplates, "Are you going to tell him that you turned him into a zombie?"

The red mech lightly smacked the back of the gray mech's helm, "We _both_ did, take credit. And frag yes. He'll think that's awesome…"

Starscream let the action go, simply smiling lightly as he turned to watch Shockwave and Ratchet go over the formula side-by-side.

"Knockout?" he suddenly asked quietly.

The red mech hmmed in response, so he continued, "Do you think Breakdown would want this?"

Knockout crossed his arms, "I… would very much like to think so. I can't say for sure, but I know him. And if this option were given to him, I could see him taking it. We have exceptionally brilliant minds working on this. I know it will come out perfectly."

Starscream patted him on the shoulder, "Humble much?"

Knockout looked down at him, smiling, "We're about to bring a mech back from the Well of Allsparks," he preened, "I think no one in this room should be humble about this, including you. You brought us the means to even consider it in the first place…"

ssssssssss

**Song from the 90's? It's on the Pokémon: The Movie Soundtrack? I don't know why it was even in the movie, to be honest... That's your only hint.**


	35. Grown Again

**All of you are very lucky I decided to post. I have time to write, but too many people in the house to let me stew in my idea juices and get it in the 'puter. I wrote 35 and 36 a few days ago. Now you can has it. Lucky peeps, you.**

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_How are they doing?_

Starscream shrugged, taking a sip from his cube of energon as he put his peds up on a chair in front of him. No one was using it, but Smokescreen and Soundwave were in the room on their break as well. He couldn't answer aloud as he liked.

_That is fine. I do not mind how you answer._

Specifically, thought the seeker as he sipped from his cube again, the occupants of the ship were doing fine the past couple of cycles. Ultra Magnus had addressed Shockwave briefly. And when 'briefly' is described, the scene went along the lines of the large blue mech peeking into the med bay, seeing Shockwave, and saying nothing more than 'carry on' before taking his leave.

So, that wasn't too bad of an introduction into the group. Certainly smoother than Starscream's had been.

_I understand you are answering the question within capacity, Starscream, but how is Breakdown's process going?_

That was something the seeker didn't really want to think about. There had been complications with the lack of sufficient CNA to work with. This had left most of the mechs aboard the ship with the great task of going through hundreds of old CNA samples down at the base of the ship in the storeroom that had been left for testing. Seeing as the ship had crashed, a lot of the samples had either been compromised or destroyed. Only a few vials of Breakdown's CNA remained and as much as Shockwave assured the rest of the group that this was more than enough, the procedure seemed more and more difficult to accomplish successfully by the joor. Starscream hoped Knockout was taking the pressure well.

_If you worry he is not doing well, you can talk to him._

Starscream gulped the last of his energon down, returning the cube to a sanitation machine as he got up to leave. Knockout wasn't one to talk about things that bothered him. It was apparent now that Breakdown's death had had an affect on him, but he had hid it so well after it happened that the seeker was sure he wouldn't want to talk about anymore of it now.

_Trying has never harmed anyone. It only shows where boundaries and limitations can be met._

And broken if honestly need be.

_You do not have to go passed the limitations he sets, but to let him know you are willing to listen should help._

Starscream smirked at the voice, but to the world around him, it was to himself. He would do as he was sure Knockout needed. A stiff kick to the aft never hurt anyone either.

The seeker peeked around the end of the hall, looking towards the med bay. Ratchet, Shockwave and the red medic he was searching for now were taking the work in shifts. Cloning this way needed constant monitoring and attention, something Starscream knew he could never have the patience for, Primus forbid they put him on this kind of duty.

But he walked quietly to the med bay doors and peered in as inconspicuously as he could, noting immediately that Knockout was no where to be seen. In his confusion, he stepped out, earning attention from Ratchet, who was working off to the side.

"Need something?" he asked.

The seeker almost jumped in surprise, clutching at his chest, "For frag's sake, doctor, is this how you get most of your patients? Giving them spark attacks?"

Ratchet smiled and motioned him down, "Step into my office and I'll take a look."

Starscream patted his chest plate lightly, joining the mech, "No, no, it's fine. I'm actually here looking for Knockout."

"His presence within the med bay is no longer recommended," Shockwave rumbled from the other side of the room, "As such, he is not here."

Starscream frowned, looking between the two mechs, "Where is he? What happened?"

Ratchet shook his helm, "Shockwave is putting a grim sound to it, but all three of us decided that, at this stage of Breakdown's growth, he doesn't have to be here…" the medic gestured to a gestation vat that had been moved to the far side of the room, "Take a look for yourself."

The seeker's wings flattened as Ratchet explained, and as he approached the vat cautiously, he saw what the medic meant and flinched back slightly, grumbling, "Ugh, does it have to look like that? Is he coming through… sickly?"

Shockwave walked over, lightly shooing Starscream from the vat, "He is coming along at a healthy pace and rate of growth. By tonight," he rumbled proudly, "we expect to have him at half size. Tomorrow night, if enough Synth-En and materials are fed into the gestation vat, he will be full size and we will simply need to wait for all the finer nodes and sensors to finalize in growth."

Ratchet smiled lightly, "Two more cycles, hopefully."

Starscream still made a disgusted face at the misshapen blob of what was supposed to be Breakdown in the vat. He was a little gray piece of slag stuck in a tank and labeled 'Breakdown', as far as he was concerned. Knockout must have seen them make the switch, he was sure of it.

Ratchet chuckled at the expression the seeker couldn't seem to get rid of, "He won't look like that by tonight, so stop staring. Tomorrow night, he'll be mostly formed. The only thing we can't grow back on him is his paint job, but that will be left up to Knockout once he's ready for it."

Starscream shuddered visibly, letting his wings take most of the act as to make it look as though he was simply fluttering them, "Ugh again… Well, where is Knockout then?"

Shockwave made his way back to the other end of the room, retrieving a couple of datapads, "We asked that he continue work on the Synth-En tanks in the lower part of the ship. Together, we managed to repair only two to begin Breakdown's growth, and having the rest functional will not only benefit the clones, but the others on the Nemesis."

The seeker turned quickly, "Fair enough, so he's downstairs. Have fun blob-sitting, or whatever it is you're calling it. Don't expect me to come back and take over for one of you, I don't think I'd be able to look at it again without making a face…" he glanced at the vat again, feeling his faceplates beginning to contort, so he rushed out faster, "Ah, just like that, nope, need to dash, busy day ahead!"

Ratchet watched him leave, slowly looking over at Shockwave, "I thought most of the Decepticons had stronger tanks."

The purple mech hmmed, "Some have their limits."

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Starscream shuddered as he walked the halls himself, hissing quietly, "I swear to Primus, it _winked_ at me! And it didn't even have optics yet!"

_That sounds truly terrifying, Starscream._

The seeker growled, "Don't patronize me."

_I would not need to if you did not act so foolish._ _Did you wish for me to agree with you or not?_

Starscream stopped walking, but only to growl again, "Just be quiet if you're going to be like that."

The voice said nothing back, so Starscream gave himself the victory and walked on, coming to the room Ratchet had had the Synth-En tanks moved to for safe keeping, "Knockout?" he called cautiously, "Are you in here?"

"In the back," came his answer, the dropping of a tool echoing out, "What are you doing down here?"

The seeker smiled, servos folded neatly behind his back, "Why, looking for you, isn't that obvious? Why else would I come down here?"

Knockout's helm poked out from behind a tank and he pointed a tool at the gray mech, "I was just about to ask you what you'd done to make Magnus all hissy that he would need to send you down here as punishment, but then I wouldn't know if he were punishing you or me doing that."

"Mostly you," Starscream smiled, leaning against the tank; he gave it a light knock on the glass, "So, how are these coming?"

The red mech set his tools down and dusted his servos off, standing, "Fine. Most of them were just jostled so much the under tubing became loose. Others have cracks in the glass near the base, so I'll have to mix up a sealant for that…"

The seeker nodded, trying to seem interested, "Yes, that's… good, nothing too serious."

"Why are you here again? Checking on me?"

Starscream's wings flattened, "What? No, no, just the tanks."

Knockout smirked, "So what was one thing wrong that I mentioned with them?"

The gray mech frowned, crossing his arms, "Fine, so I'm not interested in how they're coming along. Is that a crime?"

The red medic chuckled, "When I'm working this hard on something and you interrupt, it is. Now, what do you need? Or at least think you need?"

The seeker shrugged, "Well, asking you how you're holding up with all this isn't cruel, is it?"

Knockout's light demeanor disappeared, his faceplates holding a blank and grim expression, "Ah."

Starscream pointed back from where he had come from, "Have you seen him? Primus, I swear they switched out scrap on you and have been tending to a blob of slag for the passed few joors, I can't believe that's going to be him."

The medic sighed, turning back to his work, "Yeah, well, cloning isn't a pretty process, Screamer. It's ugly until it gets to the point where it's not…"

Starscream's wings flattened and he sighed, "Sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound that way… I guess we're all lucky he progressing at all, huh?"

Knockout shrugged, not saying anything.

"So," the seeker said softly, "how are you doing?"

The red mech dropped a tool, sighing loudly, "Not too good on this one, Screamer…"

"But he should be back in the next couple joors. Aren't you excited?"

"I want to be. But I'm wondering why I didn't try to get Shockwave to do something like this in the first place."

Starscream scoffed, "With all the resources we have now versus what we had back then, do you really think Megatron would have let you do something like that? Knowing him, he would have blown it all up in your faceplates. And if you thought me scratching your paint was a punishment, then what he would have done to you would have been considered murder."

Knockout nodded, "I try to tell myself that, but it plays out differently in my helm."

The seeker rolled his optics, "We all like to think back to the past like that. Imagine we said or did something different to make things better. But things are being repaired now. It may have taken some time, but it's happening…" he picked up one of the medic's tools, handing it to him, "Remember that you have that much."

Knockout looked back at him, nodding, "That's the part I'm having the most trouble with. But you're right," he took the tool from Starscream, returning to his work, "At least this time."

Starscream rolled his optics and sat on a stool beside the mech, watching him work in silence.

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**Ready for the next one? Review if you are. And can someone do me a favor and put a review on ch. 3 for no reason? Believe it or not, it's the ONLY chapter without a review. I want to put shame on someone. I'm putting shame on Soundwave. Dammit, Soundwave.**


	36. Born Again

**Do I really need to address my chapter. You know what's coming. That's right. We're getting handsy. ... Or, in the Cybertronian sense, servoy. ... Handsy sounds more exciting.**

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Ultra Magnus was impressed with the strength of his new servo. It had been reattached with no complications only the night before. And, in this time, Shockwave and Ratchet's work on the once-blob in the gestation vat had progressed.

So much so that Ultra Magnus was now struggling to keep the clone down, finding himself impressed with the functionality and strength in his recently attached servo.

Breakdown's bright yellow optics glared up at the blue mech and he pushed harder against him to get his servos on him, roaring angrily.

Ratchet was trying to pull Breakdown back down onto the med berth with Shockwave, both mechs having the clear expression in both faceplates and body language that this was not what they had expected.

Smokescreen moved carefully from his spot on the side of the berth, running towards the doors.

"Where are you going?!" Ratchet hollered, dodging the blow the clone's arm would have delivered by dropping to the floor.

"Starscream, Knockout, anybody!" the blue mech replied, going out the door, "Anyone he'd recognize!"

Smokescreen ran down the hall, out of Starscream's sight from the other side of the hall. The seeker's wings twitched in curiosity and when he heard the shattering of glass and another familiar growl, he shuddered, remembering back to a time on the Nemesis, which he and Knockout narrowly survived…

Another roar put the gray mech into a sprint and led him to the open door, glaring angrily as he watched the unpainted mech toss Ratchet away and kick Ultra Magnus back, "Breakdown!" he snarled, trying to recompose himself.

The clone froze, his bright optics drifting to the seeker. Instead of calming down, he only growled, the fight growing in him again.

Starscream clicked his peds loudly against the metal floor to give the newly awoken mech something to concentrate on as he walked cautiously forwards, "You dare conduct yourself this way?" he hissed, wings fanned out wide and claws flexed, "These doctors repair you, save you, and you fight them? What would Megatron say to this?"

Ratchet stood, his chassis aching, "You think it's wise to bring that up?"

The seeker watched as Breakdown still struggled to keep Ultra Magnus away and Shockwave from touching him, "Authority is something he responded well to before…"

Breakdown kicked Magnus back again, harder, and sent the blue mech crashing into the other med berth, "This is becoming too dangerous to allow it to continue," his servo transformed into a blaster and aimed.

Shockwave threw himself in front of the gun, his rumbling form protecting Breakdown as he continued to try to keep him down on the berth, "Doctor, remove the former Autobot before he does harm to our patient. His presence is the logical cause of all this."

Ratchet looked like he wanted to retort, but he simply took hold of Ultra Magnus' blaster and aimed it down, "He's right, we can handle this, we're not defenseless," he motioned the blue mech to the door, "Just get Soundwave and Knockout here, that can only help."

Magnus looked at the clone as Breakdown roared again, trying to shove Shockwave away, but he sighed and nodded, rushing out the door, "You best be right doctor, or I will end this and all experiments of the sort will be over!"

Starscream looked to Ratchet for instruction, but the look on the mech's faceplates told him he didn't want to think about that would, and wouldn't, happen if they couldn't calm Breakdown.

_I do not know what I can say to help this, Starscream. I have never dealt with something like this before…_

The seeker scoffed, going to Shockwave's side to help him get one of Breakdown's servos away from the purple mech's helm, "Well, I doubt most of us have had to deal with the clone of a fallen comrade in this capacity," he hissed.

"But we will get through this, Starscream," Shockwave rumbled, using his giant gun as a barrier, "We just need to get him to relax. Once he's calmed down, he will respond better."

Starscream knew that Ratchet at least hoped so. If Breakdown's clone proved too dangerous, the plans for a Cliffjumper, and especially the Prime clone, would be scrapped.

The medic rushed to the pair's side, a sedative gripped tightly in his servo, "Hold him, this should do the trick!"

Shockwave did as he was asked, while Starscream grumbled on the other side of Breakdown's berth, having his own battle to keep the mech's left arm down.

Ratchet managed to get the needle in between the clone's arm joint before he was suddenly smacked away. Another angry roar erupted from the mech as he moved to smack Starscream back, when a new noise made him freeze once more.

"Breakdown-" Knockout gasped from the doorway, Smokescreen behind him.

The clone stared at him a moment before growling in pain, Shockwave taking the moment to get the sedative in all the way before injecting in. Breakdown finally started to calm. His form slumped slowly and his helm fell back, his optics dimming as he fell into recharge.

Knockout shakily walked from the doorway down into the room, staring, "Was… was it supposed to be like that? Is he supposed to be like that?! Why is he like that?!" he yelled, shock apparent on his faceplates.

Ratchet and Shockwave had no answer to give him, so they said nothing. Starscream avoided optic-contact with the red medic. He didn't want to have to see the rage and pain Knockout must have been feeling. A part of him knew it was going to be a very trying and stressful rest of the cycle.

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Everyone was standing outside the med bay, save for Starscream, Knockout and Soundwave, who were inside watching Breakdown recharge.

Ultra Magnus crossed his arms lightly, bracing himself, "I'm going to need an honest prognosis, doctors," he addressed Ratchet and Shockwave, "Don't omit anything. What's happened to him?"

Ratchet looked at a loss for words, so Shockwave spoke up, "At present, we do not know what caused his excessive aggression earlier today. I had to readjust the growth process and formula to accommodate the newer samples of CNA I was given to work with. I can say that Predacon CNA and that of a modern Cybertronian is similar to working with two separate computer formats."

"Well, why didn't he recognize you?" Smokescreen asked nervously, "Don't cloning protoforms clone memories, too?"

Ratchet sighed, "Cloning protoforms take data straight from the energon they're given, and yes, memories are a part of that. But that is because they were programmed to do so. Protoforms like that were mostly used to clone drones so they wouldn't have to be trained over and over. This is something a bit different…"

"In theory," Shockwave rumbled, "Predaking retained some of his memories over time because of situations he was exposed to that triggered memories. My explanation has much to do with the fact that my research shows the spark of any Cybertronian can retain memories, even if it is selective about what it remembers."

Bulkhead scratched his helm, "So, Breakdown's chassis doesn't have a spark? Does that even make him alive?"

Ratchet waved him off, "Bah! He wouldn't be up right now without a spark! This isn't protoforms we were dealing with, remember? This cloning procedure requires he have a spark!"

"How did he get one?" Ultra Magnus asked, looking more and more stern by the breem.

Shockwave held out a datapad to the blue mech, "It's all in here for you to see, sir," he rumbled, being formal with the delicate situation, "When we activated Breakdown's chassis in order to convince it it was alive, its spark chamber had to call for his spark and return it to the chassis. This was done cycles ago when he was still in a gestational stage. The second activation we induced was to begin connections from the processor to the spark chamber. It would have been easier to finish the procedure had we also thought to keep him sedated. This is the first time I have performed such an experiment…"

Magnus still didn't look pleased, "Is he going to get better?"

Ratchet stood stiffly, looking at the grim expressions around him, but he hung his helm anyway, shaking it, "We… don't know."

The blue mech turned away slightly, "If we are this unsure, then it would not be wise to keep Breakdown alive much longer. I cannot allow him to stay aboard this ship in that capacity."

Starscream's wings dropped flat against his back. He knew Soundwave and Knockout heard the same thing.

_You do not like this decision._

Would anyone? The clone was currently resting peacefully. Perhaps earlier was just a fluke. How would anyone know unless they waited?

Knockout said nothing as he silently crept to the doorway, trying to remain unseen as he typed into the control panel. Some of the bots on the other side jumped in surprise as the doors locked, sealing them out, but Magnus banged on the door loudly.

"Knockout," he hollered, "open this door now! This is not the way to go about this!"

The red medic scoffed, waving a servo as he walked back down to Breakdown's berth, "Oh please! I've used that door to keep out some of the worst scrap, I'm not afraid of you!"

Starscream sighed, shaking his helm, "Are you sure this is how you want to do this?"

Knockout sat on the berth beside Breakdown's peds, "Medicine is all about time, Screamer. And they're not even going to give Breakdown that. I call that malpractice."

The seeker shook his helm again, slowly looking at Soundwave. The silent mech quietly stopped typing into his console to look back, saying nothing.

"Starscream!" Ultra Magnus suddenly called from behind the door, "You better open this door then!"

Knockout looked at the door, then the seeker, not moving. And neither did Starscream. He owed the red medic that much at least. Just a little more time.

"Starscream!" Magnus ordered again, but Starscream only scoffed.

"Like Knockout said," he answered, "I'm not afraid of you!"

Knockout smiled a bit, and Soundwave typed a little louder than usual to get some attention, "Soundwave's not afraid of you either! Breakdown's going to wake up fine and you're all going to look like impatient fools!"

Grumbling and arguments sounded like they were going on beyond the door that separated the med bay from the rest of the ship. It didn't sound pleasant.

_Do you think this is the right thing to do?_

Starscream honestly didn't know. He had told everyone that this was wrong in the first place, but just like Megatron before them, hardly any of them listened. But he could at least support the one mech who was vested in it.

Knockout was busy settling things for Breakdown, making sure he was comfortable on the berth, "Can you imagine how much easier things are going to be in this bay once he's up, Screamer? I'll be able to go racing again."

The seeker snorted, "Oh, yes, because that's the important thing here."

"One of the important things."

Starscream shook him helm. This wasn't going to be pleasant for a while…

Breakdown groaned slightly, a growl escaping from his vocals as he reached up to rub his helm. Knockout gasped and quickly ran to a shelf on the other side of the room to grab a polishing cloth and some wax. As he fussed over which solvents to grab, the unpainted mech sat up, glaring angrily at Starscream, who sat in front of him.

The seeker's wings were pressed flat against his back again as he stared back. Soundwave had already silently backed away from his station at the console, but was still braced in case the clone turned on him instead.

Breakdown growled lowly and balled his servos into fists, moving to get off the berth.

"Breakdown, no," Starscream said quickly, simply.

It was all he could think of. It really was.

And the mech before him looked as confused as the seeker did at the limited command. His anger looked washed away. Now it just looked like pain.

Knockout came running back happily with a cloth and a few bottles, setting them on a table beside the berth, "I've been waiting for this for as long as I can remember!" he preened, pulling out some cans from under the berth, all labeled blue, "Now hold still, this is going to take a lot of patience and your commitment to it all."

Breakdown stared as the red mech took out an airbrush and opened a can, testing the equipment before beginning his work on the mech's arm. Starscream had to turn away as Knockout began to paint. It was obvious from the look on the clone's face that he didn't know what was happening. That he didn't remember any of them. That he wasn't Breakdown anymore.

Starscream slowly stood up straighter, making his way to the red medic's side, "Knockout? Maybe this should stop…"

Knockout shook his helm, "I've only done a first coat on his arm and I'm not even finished with that-"

"You know that's not what I'm talking about," the seeker murmured softly, "This needs to stop."

Knockout frowned, glaring back at him, "Why?"

Breakdown looked at the both of them, his optics flickering as he registered their emotions.

The red medic was getting furious very quickly, "I asked why."

"And you know why," Starscream said calmly, "A long while ago, Megatron fragged up and sent Dreadwing and Breakdown to finish something he started. Something he should have ended himself," he shook his helm, "Breakdown didn't make it that cycle. And this isn't Breakdown anymore."

Knockout snarled and punched at the seeker, but Starscream grabbed him and pinned his arms back, turning him to face the clone, "Look at him," he hissed, trying to keep control of the red mech, "Look at him and tell me he's Breakdown. Tell me that."

"He is-"

"He's not!" Starscream growled, "This is a clone! He doesn't know who we are or what we should mean to him! Even now, look, look at him!" he forced Knockout to stare at the mech, who only watched them from his berth, "If he were Breakdown, he would have come to your aid by now, no orders, no questions asked, he would have beaten me off you and had the buffer ready."

Knockout growled angrily, struggling to get away, but the seeker's hold didn't budge, "You're lying! He just needs more time!"

"How much time are you going to give him?" Starscream snarled, "How much longer will you allow this to torment you? Breakdown died because of Airachnid, he can't be brought back as you knew him! Let him be put to rest!"

The red medic whimpered softly, staring at the clone, "But he's right in front of me, he just needs-"

Starscream let him go, turning him around to face him, "Someone once told me that not every mech can be saved, as much as we want it. I wanted Megatron to survive so I could face him and end that excruciatingly painful chapter of my function, but he died. I didn't want to watch him die, but I accept it. I accept that he's gone. And you need to do the same again."

Knockout shook his helm, "I can't…"

"You need to," he turned him back around to face the clone, "I want you to look at him again. I want you to remember when you were given the news of his passing. I want you to recognize how torturous this is for you. And then I want you to tell me if you could live the rest of your life knowing you did this to what remained of him that was untarnished."

Noises could be heard at the door again, but Starscream ignored them, "If you don't do this, it will haunt you forever."

Soundwave watched quietly from the side, his attention cycling between the three of them. His digits tapped together slowly, nervously. This was why he said nothing at all times. It was better to observe.

"You need to do this now," Starscream murmured; he gently nudged the red mech towards the berth, "You won't be given a chance to soon…"

Knockout looked the clone in the optics, whimpering again, "Why can't I just pretend…?"

The seeker's wings drooped, "Because life doesn't work that way… It wouldn't be fair to you, or to Breakdown's memory…"

The red mech whined and nodded slightly, reaching out to put a servo on the clone's shoulder, "I'm sorry, Breakdown…" the mech only stared, "But…"

"Doc…"

Starscream's wings perked up high when he heard it and Soundwave visibly jerked in surprise.

Knockout's optics widened as he watched a small confused smiled form on Breakdown's faceplates, "Hey… Doc…" both his optics flickered on and off, "When did you get me a new optic?"

The door behind them opened just in time for the others to see Knockout grab Breakdown's helm excitedly, "Breakdown!" he sobbed excitedly, "Oh, thank Primus, I thought I was going to be stuck with Bumblebee as a back up forever!"

The unpainted mech's voice was muffled against the red medic's chassis, but Starscream smiled when he heard him say, "O.K., sure, but why are the Autobots even here?"

_It seems all went well then…_

For the moment, Starscream thought as he looked behind him to see the relieved and shocked expressions of the others. For the moment…

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**I'll post again once I have more chapters to do so. In case y'all haven't noticed, I try to post in pairs. I'm cool like that.**


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